Ninety young men and women from across Europe arrived in Israel this week to enlist in the IDF as lone soldiers, choosing to leave behind family, friends and comfortable lives in order to serve.
The group, most of whom recently graduated high school in France, landed at Ben Gurion Airport to a festive reception filled with music, flags and emotional welcomes. From there, they traveled to Ashdod to begin a pre-military academy program called Gur Aryeh.
2 View gallery
Ninety young men and women from across Europe arrive at Ben Gurion Airport to enlist in the IDF
Founded a decade ago, the academy is tailored for French-speaking youth and supports their integration into Israeli society. Participants study Hebrew, Jewish texts, Israeli history and current events, and prepare for the military through fitness training and psychometric test preparation, with the goal of contributing meaningfully to the army.
“I came to Israel alone,” said Yishai Partouche, 18, from Marseille. “I left everything—family, friends and a comfortable life—to get ready for the army. When I landed and saw 90 others from France who made the same journey, I understood the strength of our people. We each came from different places, but we all share the same mission—to contribute, to serve and to be part of something greater than ourselves.”