Garin Tsabar at Hannaton
Launched in September 2025, the Lone Soldier Program is a residential community for young Jewish men and women who chose to leave their families and serve in the IDF without immediate family in Israel.
It is, first and foremost, a home.
We believe that military service should not come at the cost of belonging.
Our inaugural cohort includes 27 lone soldiers, 18 men and 9 women, who have come to Israel from Jewish communities around the world. They have named themselves Garin Neutra, in memory of Omer Neutra z״l, a lone soldier raised in a Conservative Jewish community in New York who made aliyah to serve in the IDF and was killed on October 7, 2023, with his body taken hostage to Gaza. His life and service embody the profound commitment of young Jews who choose Israel as both home and responsibility, while remaining rooted in their Jewish identity.
The Lone Soldier Program is:
The first pluralistic and inclusive residential Lone Soldier program of its kind in Israel
Rooted in a traditional, egalitarian, and inclusive Jewish framework, this program affirms that soldiers do not have to choose between religious expression and personal identity. Every level of observance is respected. Every background is welcomed. Pluralism is not theoretical here. It shapes daily life.
A community based program
Participants live on campus alongside members of the Mechina Gap Year Program. They share Shabbat meals, holidays, learning, and daily life. The residence is not separate from campus. It is woven into it..
A leadership framework
Beyond housing, the program provides mentorship, Jewish learning opportunities, host family connections, and long term alumni guidance. We view these soldiers not only as servicemembers, but as future leaders of Israeli society.
Israel is living through a fragile and complex period. Lone Soldiers carry the intensity of military service while navigating language, culture, and distance from family. Here, they are surrounded by a human ecosystem of care, staff, host families, peers, and mentors, ensuring they are never alone.
The new residence opened in September 2025. But the building is only the beginning.
Garin Neutra represents a powerful intersection of courage, pluralism, and shared responsibility, young people who chose Israel, and a community that chooses them back.
