Over the last 15 years Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh in Jerusalem has been the home for over 70 students who have decided to join the IDF as lone soldiers.
Netiv Aryeh works to ensure that all year long the soldiers have food room laundry and a warm family atmosphere. Netiv rabbanim and students attend military ceremonies and the yeshiva staff remains in contact with the officers for any concerns which may arise over the course of their service.
The yeshiva is named after Rav Aryeh Bina who served as a soldier in the Hagana after returning from Europe where he was a soldier in the Jewish British brigade fighting against the Nazis during the Holocaust. His son Rav Aharon Bina, the Rosh HaYeshiva, also served in the Artillery and rabbinical units of the IDF. Rabbi Bina takes a personal interest together with the entire staff in the entire process of the decision-making and the drafting process of the lone soldiers, and sees them as role models for the yeshiva's current students.
Last night (Tuesday), the yeshiva celebrated the dedication of the Zoli and Judy Lefkovits lone soldier program at Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh. The celebration was also in honor and appreciation of all of the yeshiva's current and past lone soldiers. Zoli and Judi Lefkovitz, Holocaust survivors from Hungary, are ardent Zionists and lovers of Judaism and the Jewish Nation who have dedicated their lives to strengthening the State of Israel, the people of Israel, and especially the IDF.