Soldiers Who Have Been “Adopted’ by Families

Over just the last few months, dozens soldiers have been adopted by families who live in different areas around the country.
A Warm Home for Every Soldier believes that military service is both a challenging and crisis prone time in the soldier’s life.
A proper housing solution and financial assistance are crucial, but cannot be a substitute for the considerable emotional support that soldiers need while in the army. It is hard to demand or expect that lone soldiers function optimally with the physical, emotional and social difficulties associated with this period when they lack comprehensive support for their needs.
The solutions offered by the IDF do not include this emotional support, and it is here that A Warm Home for Every Soldier comes into the picture. We actively look for families who are willing to open their homes and hearts and ‘adopt’ these young men and women during their military service. We view this as a great privilege and a tremendous human contribution.

We offer two ‘adoption’ tracks:
 

• Full adoption: Soldiers receive a comfortable living arrangement in the family’s home during the entire period of their military service.
• Partial adoption: Soldiers who rent an apartment or live in one of the Soldiers’ Houses are hosted for Sabbath and holiday meals and are given emotional support.

Adopting a Soldier
Adopting a soldier means a commitment on the part of the family to a soldier who in many cases has nowhere else to go. A soldier who has lacked a permanent housing arrangement for quite some time and yearns to have a room he can call his own. Families who take in these soldiers undertake to provide them with living conditions that suit their needs during their military service. Dozens of families have already opened their homes and hearts to lone soldiers, offering them a warm room, an attentive ear, pleasant company, home cooked meals and, primarily, someone who cares about them and is proud of them. Soldiers who have been adopted have somewhere to go to when on leave, as well as on holidays and weekends. They have someone to consult with and someone they can lean on if necessary.
However, in return of what they receive, these soldiers repay the families with gratitude, appreciation, admiration and love.

Supporting a Soldier
This track enables lone soldiers to reside in one of facilities offered by the army, yet at the same time be in constant contact with a family and eat with them on the Sabbath and on holidays. The depth of the connection and commitment depends on the willingness and ties forged between the soldier and the particular family.