Arutz Sheva spoke with twin brothers Even and Shay Goel, who left the comfort of their home in the US to join the IDF as foot soldiers.
As their parents do not live in Israel, the twins are classified as “lone soldiers.” Lone soldiers are faced with the challenge of passing difficult army years without the supportive family infrastructure enjoyed by many native Israelis.
“I’ve always felt a connection to Israel, I’ve always believed it’s the place for us, and I’ve always felt that we need to protect what’s ours and what belongs to us rightfully,” Even explained about his decision to join the IDF. “If I don’t do it, no one else will.”
He also explained the difficulties of being a lone soldier. “Being a lone soldier, to me, means coming back to your house and having no one to do your laundry or cook you food, having no one to take care of you when you’re sick, [but serving as a soldier] anyways.”
In light of such difficulties, FIDF, together with the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers (AWIS), initiate many activities for lone soldiers.
According to FIDF National Director and CEO Meir Klifi-Amir, “Lone soldiers come from 80 different countries. They made a noble decision: to leave everything they had to come and protect the Jewish state and the Jewish people. I cannot find [an equivalent] decision like this made by 18-year-old kids.”
“I served in the army for 33 years, and I can tell you that [the lone soldiers] are Zionist, have lots of motivation and passion, to come to Israel and be part of the chain of the protectors of the Jewish people and Jewish state - and we salute them for that.”