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Tuesday, December 1, 2015
90% of Lone Soldiers See Their Future in Israel,62% Say Family Members Have Followed in Their Footsteps

Lone Soldiers Making Israel Their Home:
90% of Lone Soldiers See Their Future in Israel,
62% Say Family Members Have Followed in Their Footsteps
Gala celebration saluting lone soldiers set to take place Thursday at 7:30
p.m. at Tel Aviv University, hosted by The Jewish Agency and the Merage
Foundation and marking the Wings Program’s tenth anniversary
The Jewish Agency for Israel 1 December 2015

JERUSALEM – 90% of lone soldiers discharged from service in the Israel
Defense Forces see their future in Israel and 62% say family members have
made Aliyah (immigrated to Israel) in their footsteps, according to findings
from a survey conducted by The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Merage
Foundation via the Ergo Consulting Group to mark the Wings Program’s tenth
anniversary. The survey was conducted amongst immigrants who served as lone
soldiers—that is, soldiers without immediate family in Israel—and today live
in Israel after having been accompanied by the Wings Program. It set out to
examine the challenges faced by lone soldiers as they approach the end of
their military service and in order to develop additional tools to ease
their integration into civilian life.

A plurality (43%) said they made Aliyah in order to live in Israel as
Israelis; 36% said it was in order to make a “fresh start” in life; and 23%
said it was in order to live as Jews in the Jewish state. 10% said it was
due to a sense of personal insecurity in their countries of origin, and 9%
attributed their immigration to the economic situation in their countries of
origin. 50% of those surveyed came from the former Soviet Union, 22% from
North America, 11% from Western Europe, 10% from Latin America, and 7% from
elsewhere. An overwhelming 84% said their families supported their decision
to immigrate to Israel.

The survey results show that the vast majority of lone soldiers feel
well-integrated into Israeli society following their discharge from military
service: 58% of those surveyed said they consider themselves first and
foremost to be “Israelis,” compared to only 29% who said they consider
themselves “immigrants”; 78% said they feel that Israelis care about them;
78% said they have good friends among both Israelis and other immigrants;
and 78% said they feel involved in what is happening in Israel. 90% of those
surveyed say their command of Hebrew is good enough to enable them to handle
life in Israel with ease.

Lone soldiers report having to deal with economic and professional
uncertainty upon their discharge from military service: 54% of those
surveyed said their greatest challenge upon completing their service was
deciding what academic studies to pursue; 36% said financial matters were
their greatest challenge; and 34% said they were most concerned about their
ability to find employment. At the same time, 88% said their life was on the
right track (78%) or “set” (10%), and 88% said their direction in life was
clearer than (45%) or as clear as (43%) that of their Israeli-born peers.

The Wings Program’s guidance makes a significant difference in helping lone
soldiers build their future in Israel: A large majority of those surveyed
(72%) said their participation in the Wings Program strengthened their sense
of direction with regard to finances, employment, academic studies, and
other challenges facing them in civilian life. “[Without Project Wings] I
would have been lonelier in my daily life and in my decision making. I
always knew I could pick up the phone and call them and that they’d
understand me, support me, and help me figure out what to do,” said one
female respondent. 97% of those surveyed said they would recommend the
program to other lone soldiers.

An estimated 3,000 lone soldiers serve in the Israel Defense Forces each
year, immigrating to Israel on their own in order to build their futures
here. The Wings Project, run by The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Merage
Foundation in cooperation with the IDF, accompanies these lone soldiers
throughout their military service as well as for two years following their
discharge from active duty. The program helps ease the soldiers’ integration
into civilian life and prepares them to live independently by offering them
accompaniment by both professionals and volunteers and providing them with
guidance on financial matters, employment, and academic studies. The project
receives support from a range of organizations, including Keren Hayesod-UIA,
the Lions of Judah, Rotary Israel, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Israel,
and others.

Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel Natan Sharansky
said: “These young men and women—who have chosen to leave their families,
make Aliyah, and become integrated into Israeli life in the most active way
possible—are the pioneers of the Jewish people and they are our future.
Israeli society must mobilize to advance the national mission of absorbing
these immigrants and helping these young people become integrated into all
aspects of life in Israel.”

Founder of the Merage Foundation David Merage said: “We are extremely
pleased to have been a part of the journey of the Wings Program. Not only
has the growth of the program been encouraging, but the impact of the
program on lone soldiers and their families has been truly inspirational.
Wings was created when we identified a need to support lone immigrant
soldiers and ease their transition out of military service. From workshops
on higher education opportunities to lessons on navigating the systems for
accessing national insurance payments to learning to read a rental contract,
our goal has always been to prepare these young people for Israeli life
after their service. And, today, I am so very proud of the work we have
done, and am excited that the number of lone soldiers is increasing and the
Wings Program is growing to meet the demand.”

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Wings Program, The Jewish Agency
and the Merage Foundation will be holding a gala event saluting Israel’s
lone soldiers at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, December 3, in the Smolarz
Auditorium at Tel Aviv University.

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