All Things Soldier: Chayal El Chayal

By: Ali ElizabethTurner

As happens often, Israel has been under attack…again, and the Gaza border was closed. The result is that Hamas, who has in its constitution the commitment to utterly destroy Israel, has stopped the attacks; so the border is going to be opened back up in a limited fashion so that people from Gaza can come across to…wait for it…fish! And, Israel is in its election season as well, with a line-up of candidates that is as bizarre as what’s shaping up here.

As interesting as the parallels to some of our national adventures may be on the surface, there is a phenomenon in Israel that is unique to our tiny ally known as “the lone soldier.” When lone soldiers are referred to in the Israeli culture, it means that someone from another country has come to enlist in the IDF because they believe in Israel’s right to exist and want to do their part to help. The pay is not glorious, and the risks are great. Clearly there is something in the heart of these warriors that makes “mustering a must.” The purpose of this Soldier is to discuss a support system for lone soldiers called Chayal el Chayal, which means “home away from home,” and will follow the story of a lone soldier’s remains finally being returned after falling in the Lebanese attack on Israel in 1982.

Zachary Baumel went missing in 1982, and just as we have MIAs in Korea and Vietnam whose families would like to lay them to rest, in Israel there is the same longing. There is also a special honor given to those who come from their home, in this case California, and give their lives to protect the freedom of the only democracy in the Middle East. Zach’s father died broken hearted from “not knowing,” and his 90-year old mother is overwhelmed that it was Russia that finally facilitated the return of her son’s remains. One some level there is peace at last for the family.

But for the lone soldiers who are living, one of the things they can count on while in Israel and far away from home is an outfit known as Chayal el Chayal, or in English, “home away from home.” Its purpose is to provide a family-like atmosphere for soldiers so they don’t have to be alone on Shabbat or the holidays, and have recreational and social activities to look forward to on a regular basis. It was formed by a Canadian soldier who arrived alone, was taken in by a rabbi before he finished his enlistment process, was treated like a son while he served in the IDF, and then formed CEC with other lone soldiers after his enlistment was finished.

Its headquarters are in Jerusalem with an office in California as well. Please understand that lone soldiers don’t just hail from America. As of January of this year there are 3,500 lone soldiers from all over the world. CEC is not the only civilian-based soldier-supporting outfit in Israel, and the government helps as well. But isn’t it interesting that the idea that no soldier should eat alone on Shabbat generated the creation of several organizations? Man alive, we have a tough enough time in America eating dinner together in Chick-fil-A, let alone inviting a soldier whom we do not know to eat with us! Might do us good.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner