Who is a Lone Soldier:
1. A lone soldier is a single person is in Israel without his parents and who has his own immigrant certificate and who is serving his mandatory service based on the period of service defined by the IDF. This definition is valid for females serving in National Service as well.
2. An immigrant, including a returning resident, who was recognized by the IDF as a lone soldier, despite not meeting the aforementioned criteria.
In certain cases, the IDF recognizes an immigrant soldier who has their own house as a lone soldier – in this case, he is known as 'eligible for assistance'.
The assistance from the IDF is only given to lone soldiers and to those eligible for assistance who are in mandatory service.
Ministry of Immigrant Absorption assistance is given to lone soldiers, immigrant soldiers recognized as lone soldiers by the IDF and to females serving in National Service. Ethiopian soldiers are entitled to assistance and will be entitled to additional assistance from the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption.
Main Forms of Assistance to Lone Soldiers
Increased monthly salary.
Assistance in housing expenses
Special leaves
Monthly Grant
a. From the IDF: a lone soldier in mandatory service is entitled to a monthly grant equivalent to the salary of a private, in addition to his regular army salary.
b. From the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption: in addition to the monthly grant from the IDF, the soldier will also be entitled to a monthly grant from the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption based on the following criteria:
On the day of his recruitment, the soldier has been in Israel no more than 3 years since his immigration (up to five years for immigrants from Ethiopia).
The grant is paid to the immigrant on a monthly basis and is equivalent to a private's salary.
Lone soldiers who are from Ethiopia receive a grant equivalent to a month and a half's salary.
Female immigrants from Ethiopia who are serving in National Service: females defined as lone soldiers receive a grant equivalent to a month and a half's salary. Females who are not defined as lone soldiers receive a grant equivalent to a salary.
Assistance in Rental and Apartment Maintenance Expenses
a. The IDF participates in rental and maintenance fees for lone soldiers. If the rental contract requires payment in advance, the IDF will pay up to 6 months of rent in advance.
b. Ministry of Housing Assistance: an immigrant soldier and a female serving in National Service receive apartment assistance from the Ministry of Housing during their service in the IDF / National Service as well. The period of this assistance is essentially added to the regular period of eligibility for housing assistance.
Payment of the assistance will be made through the mortgage banks. In order to receive the assistance, applicants must ask the bank to issue an eligibility document.
Required documents: immigrant certificate, ID certificate, certification of military service and Ministry of Immigrant Absorption certification that specifies the type of assistance in housing that the immigrant received (hostel, lodging, assistance in rent).
Fund to Assist Lone Soldiers: a lone soldier who is experiencing financial hardships can ask for assistance from a special IDF fund.
Leaves
A lone soldier whose parents live overseas is entitled to a 21-day leave, once every year of service, to travel abroad.
In addition, the soldier can accumulate leaves and use them to travel overseas to his family, pursuant to IDF approval.
In Israel, a lone soldier who travels overseas can fly on an air force flight if such an option exists. If not, he must purchase a round trip El-Al ticket in order to receive IDF approval to leave the country.
In the event of a death in the lone soldier's immediate family overseas, the IDF will grant a special 30-day leave and the IDF will cover flight expenses.
A lone soldier is entitled to a one-day leave in addition to the regular leave in order to take care of personal affairs. This leave is granted to the soldier by his commander at least once every two months.
Take note:
A soldier who goes on leave abroad is not insured by the IDF and therefore must insure himself for the duration of the trip overseas. The lone soldier should make sure that his passport is valid, in the event of an emergency. An IDF soldier cannot leave the country without a valid Israeli passport.
Referral to Families on Kibbutzim
The IDF maintains contact with kibbutzim who are prepared to give lone soldiers a home during vacations. The IDF also maintains contact with kibbutzim who are interested in absorbing immigrant soldiers and serve as their home during leaves for a payment that is directly made to them by the IDF. There is a limited number of spaces on the kibbutzim, primarily in the north and south of the country. Soldiers who are interested in this type of arrangement with a kibbutz must refer to the SC NCO on their base. The NCO will set up a personal interview with the Adoption Division of the Kibbutz Movement. Soldiers can turn to the Kibbutz Movement prior to their draft into the IDF.
Adopting Families in Cities
The IDF maintains contact with families in cities interested in hosting soldiers. Soldiers who are interested in this type of arrangement must contact the SC NCO.
The NCO will set up an interview with the Adoption Division in the Gadna Education Officer Command.