The Fellowship had the privilege of meeting Jeremias, who made aliyah from Argentina in 2022 and is one of the IDF’s several lone soldiers – those who come to Israel with no family and serve in the armed forces. On October 7, 2023, Jeremias was at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak near the Gaza Strip. When the terrorists attacked, members of the kibbutz were either taken or killed.
“I woke up to the booms, and I initially thought that they were coming from a nearby tank base that would sometimes make noise during training. I then saw rockets being fired and intercepted in the sky. I locked myself up in a training room together with friends who also lived in the kibbutz. We were stuck inside for 14 hours. We were evacuated the following day and sent to Eilat, in southern Israel,” said Jeremias.
As lone soldiers do not have family homes where they can stay, Jeremias remembers living with a family in Rehovot and then being sent to Raanana with others like him. At the end of last year, Jeremias moved back to Kibbutz Nir Yizhak. It was his love for the community and desire to rebuild it that brought him back. He prefers the quieter life on a kibbutz as opposed to life in a big city.
“I like working with my hands. I also think it’s important to help rebuild the community after everything that happened here. The pace was nearly empty when I came back. It is still not the level of population that we had before October 7, but at least it looks alive.” Jeremias said.
Lone soldiers are a special part of the IDF as many of them come to the Holy Land with just their love and support for her people. They can face challenges after their service when it comes to finding jobs, training, or education. The Fellowship is proud to support IDF soldiers with and without families in Israel — thanks to help from our generous supporters.
