Avi Rosenblum, a star for the Ramat Hasharon Hammers football team who once dreamed of playing for the NFL, decided to take a break from sports to serve in the IDF as a lone soldier.

Rosenblum is the adopted only child of Jewish parents from Albany, California and was raised in an Orthodox household. He says that he has come to love Israel.

"I would love to be here for the rest of my life."