Every year, over 1,000 “lone soldiers” in Israel complete their military service. These idealistic young men and women from around the world leave their families and the comforts of home in order to join the Israel Defense Forces and serve the State of Israel. But together with a sense of mission, they often experience a feeling of loneliness and isolation.
Through the Wings program, Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Agency for Israel provide vitally important assistance to lone soldiers: financial support when needed, emergency intervention during wartime and personal guidance. Toward the end of their service, Wings helps prepare them for civilian life, offering counseling and guidance, financial grants and a mentoring program that helps them make the transition into civilian life.
For Gamliel Atalan, who immigrated from France and served in the IDF, the Wings program provided a springboard to integrate into Israeli society. With the help of the program, he was able to study cooking and meet inspiring chefs like Meir Adoni. During the ten years of its existence, Wings has helped absorb more than 5,000 new olim. The program accompanies the lone soldiers from their enlistment in the IDF until two years after their discharge.
Photo: Gamliel Atalan, 2019