Some 300 young Jews from across the globe arrived in Israel to make it their new home and join the IDF.
Some 300 young men and women arrived in Israel on Thursday and made Aliyah (immigrated to Israel). They will serve their new country in the IDF.
Knesset Members Michael Oren and Oded Forer, officials and members of the Israeli Scouts youth group and others welcomed the new immigrants to Israel at a special ceremony in Jerusalem.
The newcomers arrived from more than a dozen countries and are expected to enlist in the IDF as Lone Soldiers in November.
“Lone Soldiers” is a term for those who leave their families abroad to move to Israel and volunteer for the IDF. There are currently 1,000 lone soldiers from the US and 3,000 lone soldiers from around the world serving in the IDF.
The Garin Tzabar project of the Tzofim Movement, a non-profit organization founded in 1991, works in conjunction with with several other organizations to bring Jewish young adults from abroad to serve in the IDF. The project offers the new immigrants a home away from home in various communities throughout Israel that adopts them throughout the duration of their army service.
Elad Sanderovich, executive director of the Friends of Israel Scouts, said that “by the end of 2017, no less than 450 quality young people will be immigrating to Israel to serve as lone soldiers to protect the State of Israel and its citizens.”
They are immigrating, he added, in spite of the “many personal challenges that each immigrant faces and they deserve recognition and appreciation for the courageous decision to come to Israel and join the IDF. It is our job to embrace them with the warm hug that they deserve for the great sacrifice that they are making for us.”
The 300 new IDF enlistees were preceded by 68 others who came on Aliyah from North America on Tuesday and will serve as lone soldiers.
