The initiative aims to ease the transition of young immigrants who arrive in Israel without immediate family into both the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli society.
By Shula Rosen
A new residential facility for lone soldiers was inaugurated at the Hannaton Educational Center in northern Israel, welcoming 30 young immigrants from North America as its first residents.
The program, developed in partnership with Keren Kayemet LeYisrael (KKL-JNF), JNF USA and other groups, is designed to support new immigrants preparing for military service.
Participants will live on the Hannaton campus alongside Israeli peers enrolled in a pre-army leadership academy, sharing holidays, cultural programs and daily life in a pluralistic setting.
The initiative aims to ease the transition of young immigrants who arrive in Israel without immediate family into both the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli society.
Rabbi Yoav Ende, head of the Hannaton Educational Center, highlighted the unique challenges faced by lone soldiers.
He told Ynet, “Throughout history, many lone soldiers fought heroically alongside their Israeli-born comrades. Some fell in battle far from their families but surrounded by the love of the people of Israel,” he said.
The new home, he added, will provide emotional and practical support to ensure participants contribute meaningfully during and after their service.
Hannaton offers a 1st of its kind housing solution for lone soldiers, who came from abroad by themselves to serve in the military @nicole_zedeck traveled to the Hannaton Educational Center to find out more: pic.twitter.com/IW80TtPMyH
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) January 22, 2025
KKL-JNF Chairwoman Yifat Ovadia-Luski said the project reflects the organization’s commitment to “Zionism, aliyah, attachment to the land and love of Israel,” noting that strengthening Jewish presence in the Galilee is a central goal.
Ilan, 22, a native of Philadelphia, described how antisemitism on his campus strengthened his resolve to enlist.
“My baseball teammates would call me ‘the Jew,’ and anti-Israel protests became routine. I wanted to come to Israel, to be in a place where I could feel free to truly be myself,” he told Ynet, adding that he hopes to serve in a special forces unit.
Garin Tzabar CEO Yair Ran Peled described the project as “a national undertaking.”
A crowdfunding campaign raised 800,000 NIS to establish the new campus, where each participant will be paired with a local family to help ease integration into Israeli life.
