The term “lone soldier” refers to recruits in the Israel Defense Forces who have little or no family support systems in the Jewish state. Israel estimates there are 6,000 lone soldiers currently active.

An estimated 35-40 are Canadian: it’s relatively common for Canadian Jewish high school graduates to head to the Holy Land for two years of military service, despite the known issues of occasional homesickness, language barriers, depression and even suicide. Elsewhere, some Canadian groups have argued that it’s illegal for a foreign country to recruit soldiers on Canadian soil.

But none of that is preventing young Canadian Jews from signing up to defend the Jewish homeland. Today, we’ll hear from two veterans of the lone soldier program: Zach Brown, now working at an Israeli startup in Tel Aviv, and Rebecca Weiss, who finished her army duty a year ago, and is now studying at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

What we talked about:

• Read the Nefesh B’Nefesh brochure for parents of lone soldiers at nbn.org.il
• Read “How friendships and authentic Israel experiences shaped my Aliyah story” at thecjn.ca
• Read “Ambassador welcomes Canadian IDF Lone Soldiers” at thecjn.ca

Credits

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.