As you all know, I am a lone soldier… but I am not the only lone soldier in my unit! On this page you can meet Nathan and Ezra, both lone soldiers that serve with me in Nachal.
My name is Nathan Japhet. I am a 23 year old American lone soldier currently serving in the Nahal infantry division. I was born in Manchester, New Hampshire and grew up in Providence, RI. My family consists of my parents, myself and my older sister, all of whom are in the States and whom I miss terribly.
Here is a little background about myself. I studied in Providence Hebrew Day School for grade school and attended Maimonides in Boston for high school.
Upon graduation, I studied at Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi in Jerusalem, Israel for a year. That was my first time in Israel and I quickly fell in love with the country. After my year, I attained my biology degree at Yeshiva University in New York and decided that I would make Aliyah at the end of my studies.
I made Aliyah for a variety of reasons. Some have to do with my religious beliefs, but the major factor in my decision was to be part of the greatest Jewish experiment of the past two thousand years, namely to be the masters of our own fate in our ancestral homeland. Although I am only required by Israeli law to serve for six months due to my age, I decided to serve in combat like other Israelis because I feel required to serve my country with all my capabilities and powers. I ended up in this unit and am loving every minute of this unique experience.
Aside from that, I am a normal guy. I love sports, especially basketball and soccer (I even played four years on the Yeshiva University soccer team), reading, listening to music and relaxing with friends.
Thank you for your support!
My name is Ezra Gordon. I was born in Long Island, New York and lived there until the age of 12 when my family and I moved to Saint Louis, Missouri. This past summer I decided that, instead of going to college like most 18 year old American guys would do, I would move to Israel and start my adult life as a lone soldier (a soldier whose parents do not live in Israel) serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
I have three older brothers and a younger sister, all of whom have not served in the IDF and still live in the US. I have always loved sports, hockey, baseball, and football in particular, and I love hanging out with friends and listening to music. While I no longer take piano lessons, I still like to sit down every once in a while and play a couple of songs.
While living in New York, I attended Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (HANC) of Plainview where I received most of my Jewish education. After attending Epstein Hebrew Academy (EHA) in Saint Louis for middle school and Missouri Torah Institute (MTI) for a couple of months for high school, I was displeased with the Jewish Education I was receiving. Consequently, in the middle of freshman year I went on a very different path and enrolled in Parkway North High School, the public school in my area. This was not something I particularly wanted to do since I always loved Judaism, but seeing as I was not getting the religious learning anyway, I at least wanted a good secular education (which I did).
My dad, being a Rabbi and zionist, brought me up with love for Judaism and love for Israel. It’s most likely because of him that in the middle of 10th grade I started becoming very interested in the idea of serving in the IDF to protect the Jewish people and Israel. I am now a full Israeli citizen serving in the IDF in the Nachal Brigade three years later with a long journey still ahead of me.
If you would like to support Nathan, Ezra, and I by helping us improve our unit’s gear and equipment, please visit the following link. Thank you!
Shaul Armony 
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