NOTE: I was not paid to review this book. It is an unbiased and objective review. If you have a book with Jewish or Israel related content and would like me to write a review, contact me for details of where to send me a review copy of the book.

Book Review: Lone Soldiers, by Herb Keinon 

Lone Soldiers is a book about soldiers in the IDF who generally have nobody to rely on, nobody to be there and support them. Many soldiers in the IDF come to Israel, make aliyah, all alone, without their families.

One might think that it is not a big deal - going into the army, these soldiers have their new friends in the army to bond with, to get support and camaraderie from.

But that is not the case. These soldiers lack an essential ingredient that regular Israeli soldiers have, and this can hamper their success, and can make or break their entire experience in the IDF. They lack that family and the familial support.

When there is a ceremony, all the soldiers have their relatives there, cheering for them, supporting them, while a few soldiers will be standing there uncomfortably because they have nobody there for them. The Israeli soldiers will have parents who take care of their laundry, buy them a new jacket or sleeping bag, or gloves for the cold nights, or bring them some food, just drop by and say hi with a hug during an extended stay on the base. These lone soldiers have nobody to do all these small things for them, to worry about them, to show love and support for them. It increases the feeling of loneliness when they see their buddies with their families and all the little things, and they have none of it. Also, the Israeli soldiers have a home and family to go back to on the weekends they get off of the base, while the lone soldiers go back to a, at best, cold and empty room or apartment.

They can fall into a funk, hit a state of despondency, thinking about everything they gave up to come to Israel and volunteer themselves for service in the IDF, wondering if it was worth it. it can affect both the quality of their performance and their commitment.

Tzvika Levy became known as the "father of the lone soldiers". Levy took it upon himself to take care of all the lone soldiers. he finds them a place to live, he buys them gifts, he is there for them at their ceremonies and when they need assistance. He takes care of all the little things, and he gives them the support that they are lacking.

This book, Lone Soldiers, is a look at the experience of the lone soldiers, with an eye to the difficulties they encounter throughout the process. The book starts off describing how Levy takes care of them, how the entire project came about, and then it takes a look at a series of soldiers. Each chapter is another soldier. These soldiers come from all over the world, from all different backgrounds, giving up different lifestyles, serve in a variety of IDF units, many of them work extra hard to qualify for service in elite units... and they all come for different reasons. Some come for Zionism, some come because they want to connect to Israel, some because they had nothing else to do, some wanted the perceived excitement and action of the army, some to get away from things...

Lone Soldiers describes and talks to different soldiers. Reading Lone Soldiers will open you up to seeing and understanding an experience that you probably cannot imagine. You will understand and appreciate the service of the soldiers (even the non-lone-soldiers, but especially the lone soldiers) we see all around us (for those of us living in Israel) when you realize what they go through and what they have given up. You will meet soldiers from the USA, from Russia, from Columbia, from Australia, from Europe, from South America, from Canada, from Ethiopia, from Moroco - the entire mosaic of Jewish life around the world.

I readily admit that when my brother served in the IDF, as a lone soldier and as a volunteer from abroad (slightly different than the experience of the classic lone soldier who makes aliyah and serves in the IDF - but not all that different), I was not aware of all these issues and experiences. While we provided a home for him when he wanted to crash by us, went to his ceremonies, called and tried to be there for him, and I can therefore identify with a lot of what is described in the book, we did not realize how much other stuff he was lacking and we therefore did not make an effort to provide. Had I read something like this before his service, we would have been far more knowledgeable of what to expect and what he might have needed or what he was lacking.

Lone Soldiers is a beautiful book, describing real people who have given up so much in order to fight and defend the State of Israel. You will appreciate the soldiers of the IDF so much more after you read this book.

You can buy Lone Soldiers on Amazon.com for $27.39

You can buy Lone Soldiers on Urim Publications for $31.50

NOTE: I was not paid to review this book. It is an unbiased and objective review. If you have a book with Jewish or Israel related content and would like me to write a review, contact me for details of where to send me a review copy of the book.