A new residence for lone Haredi soldiers has opened in Jerusalem’s Kiryat Moshe neighborhood – the 34th apartment of Shomer Yisrael and the Netzach Yehuda organization, which together provide housing and support for approximately 250 lone soldiers.
A new residence for lone Haredi soldiers has opened in Jerusalem’s Kiryat Moshe neighborhood, becoming the 34th apartment established through the joint initiative of Shomer Yisrael – the National Association for Haredi Service – and the Netzach Yehuda organization. Together, the network now provides housing and support for approximately 250 lone soldiers serving in a wide range of IDF units.
The newly dedicated apartment is home to seven Haredi soldiers serving in various military frameworks, including the Netzach Yehuda Battalion, the Yoav Project, Bina B’Yarok and the Intelligence Corps.
The apartment was donated by David Friedman of Los Angeles in memory of members of his family who survived the Holocaust: his father, Rav Yaakov ben Mordechai Friedman; Chana Leah bas Rav Yitzchak Dovid; and his father-in-law, Rav Shlomo Yechiel Halevi ben Rav Moshe.
Speaking at the dedication ceremony, Rav Tzvi Kalbenau, president and one of the founders of Netzach Yehuda, said: “It is important to explain what a ‘home for a lone soldier’ really means, because it is not something that should be taken for granted. In the IDF, a lone soldier is officially defined as someone whose parents do not live in Israel, but our definition is somewhat broader. The Chareidi community is rich and complex, and like every community it has its own dynamics. Those dynamics do not always leave every soldier feeling that he has somewhere to go on Friday night, or that someone is waiting for him when he comes home on leave. Our goal is simple: no soldier should have to face that reality alone. Every one of them deserves a place to call home, and a place where he truly feels at home.”
He added: “Every lone Chareidi soldier who walks through this door is giving something extraordinary of himself—his time, his comfort, and his place in a world that does not always make room for what he is doing. The least we are obligated to do in return is make sure that he never has to wonder where he will sleep, or whether anyone is happy to see him. A warm meal, a bed of his own, and someone who asks how he is doing. Simply, a home.”
Yehuda Shapira, director of the Lone Soldiers Housing Division, said: “Behind every door in these apartments is the life story of a soldier who chose to serve and, in many cases, has paid a difficult personal price for that decision. Our responsibility is not simply to provide a key and a bed, but to ensure they are entering a place where they feel wanted, supported, and secure. This apartment in Kiryat Moshe is not just housing—it is a home in the fullest sense of the word.”
Shomer Yisrael – the National Association for Haredi Service, working together with the Netzach Yehuda organization – was founded in 1999 by Haredi rabbis in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense and the IDF. It accompanies Haredi soldiers before, during and after their service, through rabbinic and spiritual guidance, homes for lone soldiers, pre-military academies and hesder yeshivot, and programs for veterans.
Also published in: Matzav | The Jewish Edition
Illustrative image: Hovev / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain