Lone soldiers hail from different countries from outside of Israel to serve in the IDF. But the covid pandemic made serving as a troop in the country even more challenging. That’s why fellow soldiers and IDF officials are doing their best to support them during this challenging period. The following are the stories of one lone IDF soldier currently serving in the Israeli military.

Born and raised in Amsterdam

Cohen is a soldier who was born and raised in Amsterdam who serves in the Golani Brigade and immigrated to Israel in 2019 to enlist in the army. His grandfather was a survivor of the Holocaust and spoke with him on many occaisons about the state and its army. He is one of the main reasons why Cohen felt compelled to immigrate to Israel and enlist. He also has friends who drafted and completed tours in Operation Protective Edge. Cohen enlisted in December 2019 to a pre-army prep training facility and joined the Golani Brigade following the outbreak of the virus on March 20. Cohen recently visited his family in Holland and says that he got a lot of assistance from his commanders and the TASH (Service Conditions) staff in his unit.

A 2020 Challenge

“2020 was challenging for me,” Cohen told the Jpost. “I started training in March, just with the outbreak of the coronavirus. Right from the Bakum (the Reception and Sorting Base) we closed 28 days on base, but it built the close connection with the platoon that holds us to this day.”

“There were moments that it was hard for me,” Cohen said. “I didn’t see my parents from the moment of my immigration until very recently, but the friends from the platoon helped me a lot. Every Saturday that we went out, all the parents of the platoon asked if I wanted to come for Friday night or need something at home. I am thankful to my entire platoon, because of them I did not feel alone once. The beret march was a special and amazing moment, after 10 days of war exercises everyone was terribly tired, but from the second we started the journey everyone was very excited. I just thought I was so happy to be here. I wanted to enlist in the army from the age of 13, and when I got the brown beret on my head with my brothers from the army, I was the happiest I ever was.”

And although things seem to have worked out for Cohen, many other lone IDF soldiers aren’t so lucky. That’s why the Libi organization has made it their mission to provide support to IDF lone soldiers helping them with virtually everything that the army doesn’t provide. This includes a wide range of services from living assistance during leave to Jewish cultural enrichment.

Currently, Libi is accepting donations as they embark on their important mission of providing for the well-being of IDF soldiers. To donate to Libi, simply click here.