The Lone Soldier Center Featured on JM in the AM

It's J A M in the A M hour number three on a Wednesday. >> [clears throat] >> So, the um there is a New York and New Jersey speaking tour that's going on right now brought to you by the Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin. Uh it's entitled the impact of war on Israel's Lone Soldiers. And it's a speaking tour that brings together Lone Soldiers, former Lone Soldiers, and Israeli military leadership for first-hand conversations about the Lone Soldier experience of service on the front lines, the ongoing impact of war, and the responsibilities facing communities far beyond Israel. Speakers include Brigadier General Amit Edri, Liora Rubenstein, who's going to join us in a moment, CEO of the Lone of the [clears throat] Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin, and Israeli and American Lone Soldiers with recent frontline experience. Together they're speaking about the realities facing those who serve, the vulnerabilities of Lone Soldiers, and the importance of ensuring that no soldier is left to navigate the aftermath of service alone. Their tour, which began in New Jersey, is now on Long Island. Today they're in Roslyn, tomorrow in Suffolk County, May the 8th, which is a Friday, in Melville, Long Island, uh May the 9th in East Rockaway and Lawrence, and then Sunday a Mother's Day brunch in Cedarhurst, Long Island. So, essentially the tour is now out there on the Long Island area. We'll find out more in just a moment. Liora Rubenstein, as we told you, is with us live via telephone, Lieutenant Colonel Liora Rubenstein is CEO of the Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin, and more than three decades with more than three decades of military service. She previously served as Deputy Advisor to the IDF Chief of Staff for gender affairs, playing a pivotal role in advancing gender integration across all areas of military service. For the last 7 years, she's been a driving force within the Lone Soldier Center in the last 2 years has been its CEO. She works closely with policy makers in the Knesset to expand benefits, protections, and long-term opportunities for lone soldiers, ensuring they are supported long after their service concludes. Lieutenant Colonel Liora Rubinstein, a pleasure to welcome you to J M in the AM. Wow, Nachum. Thank you. Good morning to all of you, and thank you for inviting me to speak this morning. Kol Hakavod L'Chayal. That's what I said. >> [laughter] >> Great. >> [snorts] >> You're right. Yeah, I'm right. I wish more people would realize it. Boy, am I right. And we've invited you aside from the fact that my wife and I have the privilege of having a lone soldier in Chayal, that was not the reason you were invited on. You're invited on because of the incredible work the Lone Soldier Center is doing and because of this tour that you're on at the moment. You got to tell this audience What is the daily responsibility of the Lone Soldier Center? You have a lot of lone soldiers in Israel. They come from come from all over the world, including obviously those who are Israelis who serve as lone soldiers. What is the responsibility on a daily basis of the Lone Soldier Center? Oh, oh, okay. Good morning. So, I can say that the Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin is support the lone soldier for some circle of uh of life. First, housing. We know that the soldiers comes home. They have no one to see them, to take care of them, to make them the schnitzel, the the something that the cake they love to eat, etc. And the Lone Soldier Center by having housing for 200 combat lone soldier female and men, help them to come home to see hot meal, a fridge with a lot of food and fruits and everything they want. Community that come to sit with them in Shabbat meals, guidance that sit with them and and check how they how they are. How was their week on the army? If there is something that he can help them. It's changed all the perspective of lone soldiers that come alone at the end of the hour before Shabbat and need to run to check where they can make laundry, to be to buy something to eat, not to find themselves eating just tuna or corn all the Shabbat before they are coming back to a more 2 weeks. So, this is look like small things, but it's very important to lone soldier that he have something like our housing. Second, professional support. We have guidance, professional assistance that are knowing exactly every soldier that come to us. What he needs, what the problem with the commanders, what we can do for him. There is a lot of soldier that have a problem the units they are and they don't know to who to call to. >> [snorts] >> Their parents are abroad. Who is Israeli have no family at all in connect. So, to whom who can who who uh, can call? To the guidance in the center and say, "I have a problem. Can you speak with my commander? Can you help me to change the uh, the way he treat me? He doesn't give me a Yom Kippur, the arrangement day that they must give them once a month." So, all of this we do for them by the uh, teams of the Lone Soldier Center. And there's there's three at this point, right? There's a Jerusalem, there's Tel Aviv and Beersheba at this point, correct? Uh, until this month, but in this month we expanded and now we have four centers. We have one more in Haifa in the north Wow. because we understand that there is a lot of needs there in this area and we wanted to be all over the country. Pretty amazing. Um, Yael Rubinstein, Lieutenant Colonel in the Israeli Army is with us. CEO of the Lone Soldier Center memory of Michael Levin. Um, so how is this tour going? I mean, I know that you're traveling with actual lone soldiers who can give, you know, first-hand accounts of what it's like to serve. What has been the reception? What's been the the reaction of those who have been in the audience for these sessions so far? I can say that it's go amazing. There are so amazing people in the communities that met us or in the JCCs or in the shuls. A lot of parents of lone soldiers that serve now in the army that comes to see what else they can do to their children and to the other that is coming forward and it's very warmly to see the people in US the Israeli and the American Jews that wants to help the IDF soldier the lone soldier the Israeli one or the the this they are come from abroad and they are asking what we can do what we can help to you and I think after they hear the soldiers the two soldier the American one Rocky and the Israeli one Moti that was in Golani Brigade. They are understanding what the help of the United States Jewish community and people do for us and the daily activities because because of the donation of these people we can allowed health treatment therapy treatment to a lot of soldiers we can allowed warm meals to a lot of soldier that come every Shabbat to our centers to eat even they are not living in the in our houses houses. We can allowed to take guidance that can sit with them and see them every time that they need us and I hope it will be continued because we have more days, but it's warmly and I think we are hugging by all the communities here and it's it's thank you Yeah, well, you deserve it frankly. In addition to all these stops that I mentioned earlier that they're making on Long Island, I should note that this past weekend they were in Bergenfield, New Jersey and that's what Leora is referencing is these events that have taken place already and then Monday they were in Middlesex County plus Staten Island and then they started in the Five Towns and West Hempstead. So they've made the rounds. A lot of people have been extremely amazing and the reaction's been great. This Do you know where this Rohi is from by the way? Do you have any idea what city in the United States she's from? I I I don't know I don't know if you know >> From Ohio, wow. So this young lady from Ohio rose to the ranks of captain in regular service and reserve, served in multiple rounds in Gaza and frontline intelligence roles countering weapons and narcotic smuggling and thwarting terror plots. She developed war readiness training programs for special forces safeguarding Israel's northern border against Hezbollah. And the first woman usually in these leadership roles paving the way for other women to take on similar leadership roles in combat intelligence. She's gotten a bunch of awards, valedictorian recognitions, etc. etc. And Leora, I point this out because this is a young woman from the United States who obviously made a real difference in Israel's security. A lot of people don't understand that even lone soldiers from outside of Israel including from the US make a real difference, take real roles and I'm not minimizing any other role. Every role is important. Everyone's doing, you know, important work in the army, but they're taking very serious roles, some of them very dangerous roles and they're excelling at them. And I want people to understand that, that you know, those who are attending or those who are enlisting, rather, voluntarily in the Israeli army, this is the type of work they're doing. You're right. Uh most of them, I can say, most of them wants to go to the combat units. Uh also the women. I I see all of them when they're coming to our center and they intend to to say, let us uh go to combat units and they're fighting with the army a lot of times to to get this uh role. And it's so amazing to see them. Uh before the war, I used to say, the soldier the lone soldier that that comes from abroad, they don't understand the the the meaning of war because they're not born in Israel in the army like we are, we're born here and and I now, after the October 7th that I saw the most of them fighting in the in Gaza and in the the north, it's impossible to think that this child that didn't know anything about the IDF and what it's going how it's to fight in war coming and fight for the national of Israel for our Israel and want to be a part as everyone else with no fear and to be at the uh most important roles in the combats that we have. >> Yeah, true. >> [laughter] >> attitude. I know. Trust me. Trust me. We We have trouble understanding it also sometimes. It's unbelievable. It really is unbelievable. Uh watching them go 6,000 mi to the east and insist on taking combat roles in the Israeli army. Kol hakavod. Kol hakavod. Where are you from? You grew up in what city? Uh today I'm from Hod Hasharon, Buchman neighborhood, if you know. Because I I I asked that because like you said, people like yourself grew up with, you know, with with army and unfortunately with war and terror surrounding you. Obviously, the kids here didn't have that, thank God, generally speaking. Didn't have that. And you know, we we we and we appreciate the, you know, the luxurious life we've continued to have here. Uh so that's why it's so much more difficult to understand. You know, there um there's no question that, you know, you're surrounded by many, many young people that want to take on the role that you described, but uh that people come to the United States and do it is amazing. All right, um you're representing the Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin. So tell me about the aftermath. You made a point uh that the organization tries to deal with soldiers, lone soldiers, even after they finish their army duties. Is that a difficult transition for them? Is Are they dealing with issues or you're just there as a support system if they need it? No, we there for a support they needed to navigate their life after they release from the army. Wow. And understanding uh what we can do for them uh to help them help them the American ones or the immigrant ones to stay in Israel. Uh even maybe I will say that the parents doesn't want them to stay uh in Israel. We try to see if they are wants to wanted to to stay here. We navigate their life. We give them a scholarship for students to let to go to learn. We help them to find works. Some of them after they finish their degree. Unfortunately, after October 7, we deal with a lot of release reserve soldiers that comes with trauma and needs to therapy treatment. So, we speak with them with keeping um their issues between our guidance and doesn't tell the army because this is a point that they are very afraid that they will get out from the reserves units and they prefer not to tell about their traumas trauma and the sleepless night that they have. So, this is where we are and the community that we have in the centers even after they release 5 years after they release is very significant for them. Because it's something that that you cannot find in other places. You come, you can speak with the same native language language that you speak to feel hugging around you, to speak with the team, to eat something, just to be there and not to be afraid that someone will ask question. And it's very important to them even these days after they are released and every reserves or between reserves duty. Oh, I believe that. All right. This this entire panel Leora who's with us live via telephone, CEO of the Lone Soldier Center, Captain Rokhi, Commander Motti, Imi Adari, the chairman of the board, they're all going to be um uh continuing on this tour today in Roslyn, Long Island, tomorrow in Suffolk County, then Melville, then East Rockaway and Lawrence, then a Mother's Day brunch in Cedarhurst on Sunday. And I I I know you hesitate to give out exact locations. We We know this whole routine already, which I get. Uh but is there a place for people to get more information? Should they go to the Lone Soldier Center website, the Friends of Lone Soldiers? Is there a place to get more information if they want to come and uh see you guys present during this trip? Yes, thank you. You want to me to read the the website? Oh, okay. So, I want to make it too for the nation and the information of the tour, they can come, please, uh to friends uh uh friends of the lone soldiers dot com dot org. And to see all that we do and and to get involved. When you coming to Israel, you welcome to come to our centers to see, to volunteers. And for question, they can connect connect lone soldiers uh lone soldier center dot com. >> All right. It's very simple, folks. Information about the current tour that they're on or to donate and to help out as the Lone Soldier Centers continue to grow and as you heard they're expanding now, a fourth one going to Haifa, uh friends of the lone soldier dot org. Again, tour information to be in touch with them about the um about them coming to your neighborhood next time they're around or information about what's happening this week and to donate and to support their cause, uh friends of the lone soldier.org. Again, that's friends of the lone soldier.org. For general information about visiting the Lone Soldier Center in Israel and general information about what they're doing, go to lone soldiercenter.com. Again, that's lone soldiercenter.com. Lieutenant Colonel Leora Rubinstein, kol hakavod. Thank you for what you're doing. I hope the trip goes really well and that people support the cause. And kol hakavod, what can I say? This is This is a really good opportunity for people to meet lone soldiers who are on the front lines who could [clears throat] tell real stories, real accounts about what it's been like over the last few years and I think it's really important for our community here in this area. So, kol hakavod and thank you so much. Thank you, Nachum. Thank you for the opportunity and thank you for all the people that listening and invite hosting us here in the tour and to Amy Golding, our chief development director. So, thank you everybody. Amy Golding is chief development officer, folks. Arranged this whole conversation and obviously had quite a role, I'm sure, in arranging the whole tour. So, kol hakavod to her. Website information about the tour and to donate and support friends of the lone soldier.org. Friends of the lone soldier.org. General information about the Lone Soldier Center, if you want to pay a visit or just find out more about what they're doing. Lone soldiercenter.com. Kol hakavod. More coming up. It's a Wednesday morning edition of JM in the AM. >> Mhm.