Not just Orthodox or secular: New program offers lone soldiers a pluralistic home
The majority of immigrant soldiers from North America come from Reform or Conservative homes, and have had limited options until now
A new program will offer those who immigrate to Israel on their own to serve in the military the option to be adopted by a family in a pluralistic Jewish community for the first time.
“Currently, lone soldiers in Garin Tzabar are given just two choices for accommodation,” said Yoav Ende, executive director of the Hannaton Educational Center. “You can either go to an Orthodox religious kibbutz or a secular kibbutz. There is no alternative for someone whose affiliation or approach to tradition doesn’t fit either of those models.”
“We are offering a third option,” Ende said. “To stay in a kibbutz and be adopted by a family in an egalitarian society that recognizes and values the entire spectrum of Jewish identity.”
Garin Tzabar is Israel’s most popular program for young adults who immigrate, or make aliyah, and serve in the IDF as lone soldiers. It provides a broad support system for new olim that includes assistance with government bureaucracy, full room and board, and adoption by an Israeli host family as part of an effort to help new immigrants integrate into society.
Adoption of a lone soldier typically means providing a room for the soldier when they are on leave, as well as including them in family activities.
Of an estimated 7,000 lone soldiers currently serving in the IDF, 1,200 are in Garin Tzabar, with about 400 new olim joining every year, the organization says on its website.
However, Ende said, there are large gaps in religious expression and outlook between different societies. Surveys show that about 40-50 percent of American Jews identify as Reform or Conservative, compared to just 10% who identify as Orthodox. In contrast, less than 10% of Jews in Israel self-identify as either Conservative or Reform.
About a third of lone soldiers come from North America, IDF data shows.
“Currently, the majority of lone soldiers from North America come from homes affiliated with the Reform or Conservative streams of Judaism,” Ende said. “We are talking about large groups of graduates from pluralistic youth programs like Ramah or USY who come every year.”
“Until now, Jews in Israel haven’t thought much outside of the binary equation of religious or secular,” he added. “When I was growing up in Israel as a child of immigrants, the entire education system was geared toward being either orthodox or secular. But now, Israeli society realizes that Judaism belongs to everyone, and people are beginning to think differently.”
Ende’s Hannaton Educational Center, which offers pre-army preparatory training (Mechina) for religious, secular, Conservative (Masorti), or Reform recruits, is now completing construction of a new dormitory for lone soldiers, and is working to put together its first group of 25-30 such soldiers to start in August.
The Hannaton kibbutz in the Galilee was established in the 1980s by graduates of the Jewish Theological Seminary to serve as a Conservative community when the movement was virtually nonexistent in Israel. It is now a mixed egalitarian community of some 200 families dedicated to ideals of Jewish pluralism.
The kibbutz’s educational center currently runs several programs designed to “teach about Judaism, Zionism, social responsibility, and a love of humanity and the land,” Ende said.
“We have to think about what kind of Judaism are we building,” he said. “Right now, we are going through a very difficult war, and there have been a few lone soldiers killed in battle.
“These soldiers have made very difficult efforts to become part of Israel, and we need to ask ourselves what we are doing to take care of them.”
