Teens are invited to help support the IDF Lone Soldier program during a program from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8 at the Jewish Community Center’s Marilyn Fox Building in Chesterfield.

Israel Defense Forces Lieutenant Colonel Tzvia Levy will speak about being an Israeli paratrooper and about his very special group of soldiers.

As founder and director of the Lone Soldier Program, Levy has devoted the last 25 years of his life to helping Chayalim Bodedim – lone soldiers – acclimate to life in the IDF. Chayalim Bodidim are soldiers serving in the IDF who do not have family in Israel. They are volunteers who come from over 30 countries to defend the State of Israel. He also helps Israeli soldiers who are from impoverished families as well as those who are estranged from their families.

An active kibbutznik, Levy finds families on kibbutzim throughout Israel to “adopt” soldiers, providing them with a place to call home on their days off (soldiers in the IDF are generally off on Shabbat and are able to go home to their families). He organizes barbecues and attends numerous training and graduation ceremonies throughout the country, bringing presents and refreshments to soldiers who would otherwise be alone. Levy also provides these soldiers with physical comforts such as appliances, a pair of boots or a plane ticket home to see loved ones. With a deep understanding of the hurdles these soldiers face, Levy serves as an intermediary between the soldiers and their commands, helping them to be placed in the right unit and obtain the proper assignments.

The event is sponsored and catered by Fro-Yo. For more information, contact Rabbi Brad Horwitz at the JCC at 314-442-3271 or [email protected].