Is this going to end? While the government has voted to continue with the lockdown, they have also closed the airport! Just so you know, the airport has never been closed, even during wars! For me, personally, it has been a great opportunity to declutter and organize our home, do a lot of home cooking, read through the entire Bible, walk 8 miles almost every day and get more work done for LoveIsrael.org. Have you taken this time to do something you’ve been meaning to do?

We do need to keep in prayer all those who have lost jobs due to this virus and the response to it.

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Today, a lone IDF (female) soldier from London helped thwart a stabbing attack against soldiers guarding the Gitit Avishar junction near the Shomron (Samaria) city of Ariel .

A Palestinian man attempted numerous times to stab her, but she thwarted his efforts, the IDF’s Spokesperson Unit said. “After I knocked him back with my weapon, he went back and forth between me and my commander, trying to stab us,” L. said after the incident. “This is the kind of thing we prepare for during training, and we will always be prepared and ready to deal with it,” she added.

The world calls this area (Biblically, Judea and Samaria) the “West Bank”, meaning that it is on the west bank of the Jordan River and should be part of Jordan. We prefer to call it by its Biblical name. I personally don’t like the term “settlement” as it conjures up the picture of some recent, temporary type of village. In reality, Ariel is a thriving city with a university and all of the modern elements of any city.

There are over 7,000 lone soldiers currently serving in the IDF. About 45% of these soldiers are new immigrants, coming from Jewish communities all over the world. Another 50% are Israelis who are orphans or that come from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Every day tens of thousands of soldiers are defending the State of Israel and its citizens. These soldiers regularly spend weekends and holidays at home where their parents provide for all of their needs: food, laundry, and even a hug. Challenges for a lone soldier arise when he or she leaves base. While Israeli-born lone soldiers have their families to return home to, lone soldiers are left to fend for themselves while on leave from the army. This can be once a month, or every weekend, depending on where they serve and what part of training they are in. For more than 7,000 lone soldiers, there is no immediate family in Israel to support them. Though highly motivated and proud to serve, when on leave, many of them struggle with basic needs that a family would solve. Most lone soldiers are placed in combat units and come highly motivated to serve in the Israeli army. At any given time, these soldiers are awake and aware, guarding Israel’s borders by land, air and sea.