The Lone Soldier Podcast

Aug 03 2024 9 ep. 73 mins 6
The Lone Soldier Podcast artwork

What motivates someone to move halfway across the world to enlist in the IDF? Among the ranks of the Israeli Defense Forces are several thousand soldiers known as "Lone Soldiers," meaning they have no family in Israel supporting them. Many of these soldiers move to Israel from abroad, leaving their friends and family behind them to pursue their dream of IDF service. Between 2010 and 2013, I served as a lone soldier in a combat unit of the Israeli Defense Forces. In this podcast series, I interview former lone soldiers to learn about their motivations for enlisting, their experiences in the IDF, and how those experiences have shaped the rest of their lives.

  History  Fiction  Religion & Spirituality
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Noy Leyb - Paratrooper, Entrepreneur, Advocate, Reservist

Aug 03 2024 85 mins  
Noy Leyb was born and raised in Canada, and at 18 moved to Israel to join the IDF. Since then, he has been an activist fighting against antisemitism. On October 7th, Noy was living in New York, where he was the COO and co-founder of a Tech-stars backed company. Noy left his company behind him, and boarded the first flight to Israel to join his unit in the war against Hamas. His com

Bernardo CT - Fighter, Defender, Trainer, and Protector

Dec 13 2022 104 mins  
Bernardo CT made Aliyah from Mexico City in 2006, and spent over 16 years in Israel’s security forces, during which time he carried out hundreds of operations. His expertise covers high-risk police tactics, special operations (SOF), dignitary protection (CP) and close quarters battle (CQB). He served as a Federal Air Marshall, personal bodyguard to the Chief of Staff (IDF), a com

Adam Ross- From Search and Rescue to Buying Companies

Aug 02 2022 72 mins  
In the heart of the 2008 financial crisis, with a degree from Harvard, and a highly coveted job, Adam Ross did something unthinkable. He quit his job, left behind everyone he knew and loved, and moved to Israel to enlist in the IDF.His friends and family thought he was crazy, but Adam was disillusioned with the life he thought he wanted, and realized he wanted to become something b

Max Long - From Tunnel Destroyer to Community Builder

Mar 13 2022 69 mins  
Max Long made Aliyah from Boston, Massachusetts in 2015 and as a new immigrant with no Hebrew, family, or community, began his journey at the absorption center in Raanana. At the age of 18 Max enlisted in the IDF as a Lone Soldier in the Yahalom unit, which is a specialized combat engineering unit. After completing his service, he founded Concierge Group Real Estate and Aliyah Conc

Michael Oren - Soldier, Statesman, Ambassador, and Lifelong Defender of Israel

Oct 02 2021 48 mins  
On Episode 5, I spoke with Dr. Michael Oren. Michael served as Israel's ambassador to the U.S. from 2009 to 2013. He is the author of many books, including NYT's best-sellers Power, Faith and Fantasy and Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East. He recently released his first 2 novels, To All Who Call in Truth, and The Night Archer and Other Stories. I wa

Jason Blankfield - From Saving People to Saving Businesses

Mar 22 2021 47 mins  
On episode 4, I spoke with Jason Blankfield, CEO and founder of Frontline Leadership. Prior to enlisting in the IDF, Jason describes himself as a passive observer of a life that had been chosen for him. When Jason graduated from University, he felt strongly that he needed to deviate from that path. As he looked at a map of the world, a single country jumped out at him. Within sever

Omer Rom - From Commando to Corporate Lawyer: Lessons in Growth, Teamwork, and Leadership

Nov 06 2020 71 mins  
This week I spoke with Omer Rom, who is currently working for one of Australia's top law firms. Omer grew up on stories of Israel and the IDF from his father and grandfather, and on a year-long trip to Israel at the age of 18, resolved that he would one day come back to serve. Thanks to some good advice from his mother (shout out to Mama Rom!), Omer decided to do his first year of

Sean Ir - Dreams, Motivations, and the Reality of Finding Your Way in The IDF

Oct 27 2020 89 mins  
On episode 2 of the Lone Soldier Podcast, I spoke with Sean Ir, whose journey to and through the IDF was unconventional. Sean was extremely motivated and strong, both mentally and physically, having grown up working 16 hour days in his father's bike shop. At 24 years old, after struggling for years to reconcile his career ambitions in the U.S. with his dream of military service in

Nuri Golan: Shayetet 13 Commando turned CEO

Oct 20 2020 72 mins  
On this episode, the first of the Lone Soldier Podcast, I sat down with Nuri Golan, a former commando and officer in Shayetet 13, the Israeli Navy Seals. Nuri moved to Israel after getting his degree in Aeronautical Engineering from George Washington University, and served for 6 years in the Seal teams. Nuri and I spoke about the move from the United States to Israel and the cultur