A pair of twin brothers from New York, Ari and Ron (18), became two of 48 new immigrants to make aliyah to Israel last week via Nefesh B'Nefesh – a non-profit that organizes Aliyah by members of the Jewish diaspora.
The twin brothers have now become the two newest recruits of the elite “Sayeret 13” Naval unit of the IDF.
As new “Olim,” or immigrants to Israel, Ari and Ron are required to conscript to the IDF by Israeli law.
"A deep love for the Jewish homeland"
Ari and Ron, the children of Israeli parents, gave up a lot in order to immigrate to the historic Jewish homeland: Ari, a professional swimmer, was ranked 10th in the US in butterfly stroke swimming and broke a world record in the CrossFit “Murph” workout, whereas Ron was part of a rowing team that was ranked among the top 10 teams in New York.
"We grew up in a very Zionist home and, despite the geographical distance, we were instilled with a deep love for the country and Jewish homeland,” said twins Ari and Ron. “We also have a sister who is currently studying medicine in Israel. Both of our parents served in the army. Our father was a soldier and an officer in one of the IDF's commando units, but he shared with us that his original dream was to draft to Sayeret 13.”
Ari and Ron’s father will now be able to see his dream lived out by not one – but two of his sons.
These two brothers are truly inspiring, and I am sure that they will go far during their required military service and become assets to Israel’s security,” said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Nefesh B’Nefesh. “Our program is geared to care for all the IDF lone soldiers, including these special brothers, throughout their mandatory military service and beyond"
“We are really excited to make Aliyah and give back to the country through a meaningful military service that will definitely give us a lot of tools for life and shape us as adults," the twins concluded.