Sean will not be forgotten

...When the couple is asked how they would like their son to be remembered, they come full circle and refer back to the funeral. "Sean was a unifying factor, he brought everyone together -- Mizrahim and Ashkenazim, religious and secular, Right and Left, that is the message that should come out of all this," says Alon...
"It is true that there are disagreements, but it doesn't affect day-to-day life. When someone needs help, everyone comes together. That is far more important than anything that happens during other times. People always tell me that Sean brought the people together. That is the message that I want to come out of all this."

Liav Nahmani..
Israel Hayom..
03 July '15..

"I remember the quiet. There were 40,000 people there -- Israelis -- in complete silence. No phones were ringing. It was simply unbelievable. These days you go to a movie or a show with a hundred people and inevitably someone's phone rings in the background. And here, with 40,000 people, possibly more, there was absolute silence in the air."

These feelings were recalled this week by Alon Carmeli, the father of Golani combat soldier Sean Carmeli who was killed in the Gaza neighborhood of Shujaiyya during Operation Protective Edge last summer. About a year after the funeral that brought an entire nation together, he and his wife Dalia are still having trouble processing the tragedy that befell them. But they now realize that an entire country rushed to their side in their moment of need, and has not yet released its embrace.

Sean Carmeli was a lone soldier, having left his family behind and come alone to Israel to serve in the IDF. "We landed in Israel several hours before the funeral," his father recalls. "We were told that the funeral would be held at night and that no one would come. After all, it was going to take place at 11:30 p.m. We thought that it would be a few family members, some friends and that's it. We didn't understand what was happening around us at all."

"I thought it was a mistake," his mother says with pain in her voice. She lowers her gaze and recounts: "I was sure that I would land in Israel, and they would tell me a mistake had been made. That it wasn't Sean. At the funeral itself I didn't even see the people. I couldn't see anything around me."

"During the shiva [mourning period] people came and told me what had taken place around us. Another person told me and then another person, and then it finally began to sink in. Later I saw it all on television and I understood," she says.

"Until Sean's friends from his company came to the house I still thought that I would wake up from this. I had it in my head that since there had already been mistakes made with names of soldiers who had been killed with all the Whatsapp messages during the operation, the same would happen with Sean."

Carmeli was survived by his parents and two sisters, Or and Gal. Because his parents emigrated from Israel 26 years prior and lived in Texas, the IDF classified Carmeli as a lone soldier, and that is where this unique and sad and oh-so-Israeli story began.

The roads in the city of Haifa were closed off that night. The Carmel tunnels were blocked off and the police informed the public that there were no open routes to the military cemetery in the city.

"It was only recently that I realized what happened there," says Alon, Sean's father, about the turn of events. "Or Yifrach, the local leader of the Maccabi Haifa [soccer team] fan club known as the Green Apes, is the brother of Sean's deputy company commander, who fought with him in Shujaiyya.

"If I am not mistaken, the deputy company commander was the one who took Sean out [of the battlefield] after 12 hours that they were under fire and he couldn't be evacuated. At that point he texted his brother, telling him that one of the fans had been killed, and that it was a lone soldier.

"From there, the message travelled to a wonderful guy named Refael Kabesa, the owner of the fan site, and it snowballed from there. But no one dreamed that the message would reach almost every single home.

"During the funeral we were in serious shock. We didn't know what was going on with us. I remember that I couldn't even get close to the coffin. There were so many people trying to make their way to the coffin, but couldn't. I remember the coffin getting farther and farther away from me until the burial. There were so many people. It was crowded and hard to walk."

Haifa's enormous heart

...I will never forget my elderly neighbors (many of whom had moved to Haifa from Germany during the 1930s), who volunteered, without hesitation, for Haganah missions ahead of the establishment of the state. Their generous hearts and their willingness to give to others, even during a time of austerity, will remain forever seared in my memory. That time may have long since faded into oblivion, but it left its mark on Haifa, helping shape its modest nature, as well as its ability to face any challenge and its willingness to pay the necessary price for defending the homeland.

Prof. Abraham Ben-Zvi..
Israel Hayom..
23 July '14..

During his life, Nissim Sean Carmeli was not a familiar figure to the Israeli public. He moved to Israel at the age of 16, completed high school, and enlisted in the IDF, serving in the Golani Brigade. On Sunday, Carmeli fell in battle in the Gaza Strip.

Despite his anonymity in life, Carmeli's death turned him into the focus of a huge wave of love, warmth and
solidarity from the residents of Haifa, who identified with his spirit of volunteerism and self-sacrifice, as well the righteousness of the nation to which he decided to tie his fate. Tens of thousands of people attended Carmeli's funeral, demonstrating that underneath Haifa's quiet and sleepy facade lies a layer of perseverance and moral commitment, which burst out in an impressive and powerful display of unity and cohesion.

Zionism? Authentic, alive and kicking, in Israel, in Hebron

...It never ceases to amaze me. And to instill me with hope and optimism. I firmly believe that within the coming decades many more Americans and Europeans will be coming to Israel. Some of them, if not most, probably because they will realize that the US and Europe aren’t the havens they thought they were. But there will be others, like Pinny, who come to Israel, not because the US is bad for the Jews, but because Israel is good for the Jews, because this is our home, this is where we should be, this is where we belong.

David Wilder..
Hebron.com..
09 March '14..

It happened again. Every once in a while I meet up with it, and this week, again.

Many years ago I wrote an article about a young soldier serving in Hebron. I think it was during the ‘Oslo War’ – aka the 2nd Intifada. Arabs were shooting at us day and night. And this guy, just out of high school wasn’t even an Israeli yet. And to top it off, his next stop, in uniform, was Lebanon.

Ari Abramowitz successfully finished his army service, graduated from university in the US, and came back to Israel to continue serving Israel in various important positions, including, after founding ‘thelandofisrael.com,’ hosting a fabulously popular international TV show with Jeremy Gimpel, about life in Israel. Today he continues his efforts on behalf of the Jewish people with Keren HaYesod.

Well, I may have met another Ari. Only this fella’s name is, well, let’s call him Pinny. I met him, where else, on Facebook. I don’t remember exactly how, but I saw something about a soldier in Hebron from New Jersey. Well, that’s where I grew up. So I sent him a message, we ‘chatted’ and I invited him for Shabbat. He was able to free himself and came over. For me it was an uplifting experience.

Here again, a man not yet twenty. Finishes high school, from a not particularly religious family, but leaning in the direction of observant Judaism. Leaves the US to Israel ‘for a year’ to study in Yeshiva. After a year in an ‘American yeshiva’, he notifies his parents that he wants to stay another year before ‘returning home’ to ‘start university.’

But this next year is spent, not in an all English-speaking yeshiva, rather in an Israeli, high level Torah Academy, located in the Southern Hebron Hills. Why? Well, Pinny is already seriously considering Aliyah, becoming a full-fledged Israeli citizen. Therefore he chooses to attend a yeshiva where they speak Hebrew. His own Hebrew isn’t very good, but that’s the point. To learn. To get prepared for the rest of his life.

Now, that’s not easy. I know. I did the same thing. It can be very frustrating. The classes are difficult to understand, especially trying to comprehend pages of the Talmud, many of which are in Aramaic. But, when you are really determined, and you have a real, idealistically-motivated goal, anything is possible.

This particular yeshiva is one of the “Hesder” variety, that is, the students, after a year and a half of Torah study, begin active military service for about a year and a half. Pinny calls home again to tell his folks that now he’s going into the army.

Pinny makes his way to the army draft base and tells them, “I’m here, I want to go into the army.”

Leaving a comfortable life, but making a difference. A guitar maker turned paratrooper

...Louis Berman, a guitar maker from South Carolina, came on Birthright Israel's 10-day tour and fell in love with the country • "A strong Israel and a strong IDF will guarantee the safety of the Jews in the Diaspora. I want to help and contribute," he says.

Danny Brenner..
Israel Hayom..
17 January '14..

What prompts a young guitar maker and music major to make aliyah, enlist in the Israel Defense Forces and strap a different kind of instrument on his shoulder? Taglit-Birthright Israel, an initiative that brings Jewish youths on short trips to Israel.

Louis Berman, a 24-year-old from South Carolina, didn't know much about Israel until his 10-day trip to Israel.

"I knew this was the holy land and that Jews pray for its continued existence and success. But that's it," he recalls. "I wasn't particularly interested in the subject; neither were my parents or two younger siblings."

But things changed quickly as a result of his short visit.

"I fell in love with this amazing country and I resolved to make aliyah, to be a paratrooper in the IDF and to help Israel's security," he said. Berman is currently attending a preparatory course at an IDF base in northern Israel.

Berman played the piano and the trumpet from childhood, and at 13, he started playing guitar. After graduating from high school he enrolled in a music program at the University of South Carolina. During his studies, he worked at a guitar workshop.

"When I came in to tune my guitar I was awed by the place," he said. "I asked the owner whether I could work there and learn how to build guitars. I worked my way through college by making electric guitars. Each guitar is hand-made and tailored to the customer's specific needs. After three months it is ready. It costs $1,200."

Berman's parents supported his move to Israel, but his friends were less approving.

(Video) A Couple Moments With the Nefesh B'Nefesh & FIDF Lone Soldiers Program

Nefesh B'Nefesh...
21 November '13..

Hear firsthand all about the NBN/FIDF Lone Soldiers Program and meet some of the brave young men and women who chose to serve in the Israel Defense Forces upon making Aliyah.



Learn more about the Lone Soldeirs Program by visiting http://www.nbn.org.il/lsp/index.php/en/

Produced by: Noam Oz Setter Video Productions and Tani Kramer

Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Check-it out! 

(+Video) The Calm Power to Step Forward - Alex Singer

Tuvia Book..
Times of Israel..
12 September '12..

Twenty five years ago this week Lieutenant Alex Singer was killed in action in a terrorist ambush in Lebanon whilst rushing forward under fire with the unit medic to try and save the life of his commanding officer. It was Alex’s twenty-fifth birthday. I was serving in the same Givati brigade unit as Alex z”l at the time. Alex, like myself, was a chayal boded “lone soldier” who had not only volunteered to a combat unit in the IDF after graduating summa cum laude from Cornell University university, but also gone on to volunteer for the infantry officers course.

Despite my idealistic urge to serve our country it was an emotionally, physically, linguistically and psychologically challenging period for me. The knowledge that this smiling confident American officer had overcome all these obstacles and risen to a command position in my unit was a tremendous source of comfort and pride for me. That is why his death came as such a shock to me, and indeed the entire unit.

Since that terrible day a quarter of a century ago I have gone to visit Alex’s grave annually amid the quite grassy solitude of Mt. Herzl. For the last thirteen years I have brought my Birthright groups to this holy spot and shared not only the story of Alex’s death, but more importantly the story of his life. Alex lived a full life. He died while doing what he very much wanted to be doing.

Never Really a Lone Soldier - Fulfilling a Dream

Laura Ben-David..
Times of Israel..
10 September '12..

Arya, a lone soldier in the IDF, grew up knowing that ‘Israel was a special and important place.’ Even as a young teen, Arya knew that just knowing about Israel wasn’t enough. The 26 year-old native of Encino, California, grew up in a family with deeply Zionistic roots, which imbued him with strong feelings for Israel from the time he was very small. By the time Arya was 14, he knew that he was going to one day make Aliyah and join the IDF. If Israelis were defending Israel, then he, as a Jew, should be doing so as well. And he did exactly that.

Maya Liss, originally from L.A., wanted to dedicate her life to advocating for Israel and the Jewish people. “I felt that in order truly advocate for Israel,” said Maya, now 24, “I had to be Israeli. And I can’t think of a better way to start my life as an Israeli than to serve in the IDF.”

Nadav Weinberg, 26, observed the difficult events of the second Intifada from Shaker Heights, Ohio. Then just sixteen, he had Israeli cousins fighting in combat units. “It didn’t feel right that my cousins were serving yet, because I happened to be from the U.S., I wouldn’t be obligated to serve my people when I came of age.”

(Read full "Never really a lone soldier")

Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook.
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Appreciating this step they have taken to make aliya

Ruth Eglash..
JPost..
10 July '12..

As the battle rages over who in the country will be forced to serve in the IDF, a new training program is looking to help those young men and women who – against all odds – choose to come to Israel and volunteer for full military service.

For Rachel Kaplan, a new immigrant about to join the IDF, the decision to volunteer was simple.

“I have been a Zionist my whole life and I wanted to do something to help Israel,” explained the 20-year-old Kansas native, who made aliya a year ago and will be drafted in November. She added that for her, moving here was not enough. If she wants to build her home in Israel, she said, she has no choice but to also join one of the country’s most important institutions.

Incredibly, Kaplan is not alone in signing up for military service, and, in order to ease the transition, next week she will become one of 16 new immigrants – all of whom already have their army call-up papers – who will take part in a new month-long pre-army preparation program aimed at enhancing the experience and boosting the potential of lone soldiers.

The program, which includes tours of strategic and historic landmarks, lectures on the basic facets of Zionism and important insights into the history of the State of Israel, was devised by a group of young Israelis who not only want to help lone soldiers succeed in their military service but also want to thank them for their commitment to Israel.

“We want to send a message that we appreciate this step they have taken to make aliya,” explained Amichai Shikli, director of the Mechina Tavor, a yearlong pre-army training program where high school graduates live, learn and volunteer in the community.

“We want them to know that we care about them and that are honored that they love the country too.”

IAF: A lone soldier gets his wings

Tracy Frydberg..
The Times of Israel..
29 June '12..

After three years of intense physical and mental training, constant high-stakes challenges and numerous eliminations, the newly ranked Lieutenant “G” will receive his wings today and become an official pilot in the Israeli Air Force.

Lieutenant G, who could not reveal his full identity, is no ordinary pilot. Though the young officer lived in Israel until age six, he grew up and was educated in Canada and then Australia.

While the graduating pilot was brought up in a Zionist household that was part of a Jewish community, “a Jewish community that loves Israel is different from a Jewish community that’s in Israel,” he said. Upon turning 18, the lieutenant made the decision to return to Israel as a lone soldier, an individual from abroad who chooses to come and serve in the Israeli army.

It was his strong Jewish and Zionist identity that compelled Lieutenant G to not only serve in the army, but to choose the additionally strenuous and elite Israeli Air Force, a 12-year commitment.

“I believe that Zionism is coming to Israel and living here. As much as donations help, my vision of Zionism is based on living and ‘working the land,’” he explained.

“When I came to Israel, I wanted to be in the best unit and give as much as I could because I have a lot to give to the army. Being a pilot in the Air Force is a job that will allow me to contribute the most to the nation’s security.”

Shmaryahu - From Campus Activists to Army: Lone Soldiers Speak

Tamar Shmaryahu..
Israel Campus Beat..
13 June '12..

The lone soldier.

Hundreds of pro-Israel campus activists graduated this year, and dozens of them plan to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Serving in the Israeli military before, during or after college can be a logical extension of a student's commitment to campus Israel efforts. They serve in various forums, including hesder, Garin Tzabar or directly enlisting independent of any organization.

The IDF defines a soldier whose immediate family does not reside in Israel as a lone soldier. Various benefits such as an increased salary, a choice of an adopted family or kibbutz, an allotment of cell phone minutes that can be used to call abroad, a free plane ticket to visit family outside Israel and an extra piece of luggage when making aliyah all are part of the lone soldier experience.

Today, 5,600 “lone soldiers” are enlisted in the IDF, and some of them worked tirelessly on behalf of Israel on U.S. campuses prior to donning IDF uniforms.