Jonathan
Photo: Dana Kopel
Support, Knesset bill in response to discharged lone soldier struggling to make ends meet
Following the publication of an article about a former lone soldier in financial trouble, financial support has flowed in for him; further, two MKs have proposed a bill to pay discharged lone soldiers NIS 1,000 a month for one year after their discharge.
Following the publication of a story on a financially troubled lone soldier in Ynet's Hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, a flood of phone calls came in from readers who wanted to help support the former soldier, "Jonathan," and a bill was proposed to pay discharged lone soldiers NIS 1,000 a month for their first year after discharge.
From an ultra-Orthodox background, Jonathan left his religious lifestyle and enlisted in the IDF as a combat soldier. As his family completely disassociated from him, the military defined him as a lone soldier. Rather than live for free on one of the kibbutzim that offers free accommodation for lone soldiers or in a Beit Hahayal that offers similar benefits, Jonathan elected to live in a rented apartment, which allegedly caused him to accumulate debts.
Jonathan (Photo: Dana Kopel)
Since his discharge, he has worked as a waiter, but he has not managed to pay off his overdraft. Recently, due to his chronic delinquency in rate payments, his landlord had asked him to leave his shared apartment.
Since the article's publication, Israelis have reached out to help. Some have transferred money to his bank account, others have offered to adopt him, and yet others offered him regular work that would help increase his income.
One person even asked to pay his rent for half a year. "It was so moving to get such support," said Jonathan. "Until the article was published, I was alone in the world, and suddenly the entire nation of Israel is embracing me. It's the beautiful Israeli-ness, and I'm happy that the nation of Israel joins together to help each other and doesn't leave me alone."
Regarding the bill, which is supported by Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beytenu), Jonathan said, "I know firsthand the hardships of lone solders after discharge, and this is very encouraging news for them. I thank everyone who reached out to help me."
The bill was submitted on Wednesday by MKs Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu) and Itzik Shmuli (Zionist Union). It would cost the state NIS 12 million per annum. The MKs explained that, unlike soldiers with families in Israel, discharged lone soldiers are on their own when they have to acclimatize to adult life outside the army.
