When a lone soldier from your community is drafted into the IDF, they will be paired with your religious school, JCC, temple youth group, Jewish Day School, or synagogue. When your organization matches with a soldier, you will accompany them throughout their service, with the option to match with additional soldiers each year.
CREATING CONNECTIONS
The communication and/or connection with specific classes can be coordinated directly with your soldier. You can talk as often as you want, or as seldom as you want. You can connect them to one class, or all the classes. You can connect them to no classes and just send care packages and letters. It’s your choice. You and your soldier will set the pace that best suits your needs! Upon receiving your match, you'll be put directly in touch with your soldier.
PROVIDING SUPPORT
Two times per school year, participants will send care packages with a value of up to $50 to their soldier along with hand written letters of encouragement and any home made items such as friendship bracelets, drawings, etc. Ideally, the students will be responsible for raising the tzedakah to buy the contents of the care packages. We believe that when participants are personally invested in their soldier, the emotional investment in the program and in Israel increases. In some cases, connecting organization may choose to sponsor the packages. Program fees are just $250 for the school year and two care packages, shipping, delivery, and customs clearance for the soldier's care packages.
EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION
We believe that the best education is experiential education. Through forming relationships, writing letters, asking questions, raising tzedakah and fulfilling wishes, participants are engaging with Israel on many different levels. Each age group, whether middle school, high school or college, will be able to take away different meanings from their experience. This program is not politically affiliated and is not attached to any lesson plans. Therefore, educators are free to frame the program in a way that best suits their community. For high school and college students who travel to Israel, meet-ups with their soldier will be arranged. When soldiers visit home, they'll also visit their connecting organization.
SENDING PACKAGES
In fulfilling the care packages, soldiers will get to create "wish lists" of items they miss from home. We then source all of the items pack all of the packages for you. Any letters or hand made items must be sent to our offices by specific deadline so they can be included in your package. We will then deliver your package directly to the your lone soldier's residence Israel.