Mindy Levine, wife of New York Yankees president Randy Levine, has launched the “Lone Soldier Challenge.” The program, which will be run with the support of Nefesh B’Nefesh and Friends of the IDF Lone Soldiers Program, will expand support for soldiers without immediate family members living in Israel.
Specifically, the program will establish a Lone Soldier Pavilion in Jerusalem, where the more than 3,500 lone soldiers from around the world – more than 1,000 from North America – will have a place to gather and participate in a holistically-designed program providing various means of relaxation and recreation.
“Randy and I are committed to supporting these courageous young women and men who have chosen to make Israel their new home, and are then required to serve in the Israel Defense Forces to protect that home,” said Levine. “We hope that after learning about Nefesh B’Nefesh through this exciting new Lone Soldier Challenge, other sports executives, players and organizations will find it in their hearts to support Lone Soldiers from the towns, states and regions their teams represent."
“I would also like to offer a special challenge to fans of all sports teams to join with us in a very important effort to show these soldiers that they are not alone,” she continued.
Tony Gelbart and Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founders of NBN, said they are excited about the program and appreciative of Levine’s support.
“What these young men and women are doing is simply remarkable, and they deserve every ounce of support they can get,” the founders said in a statement.