How We Help
We believe it is critical to support the men and women who safeguard Israel and the Jewish people.
Our goal is to provide purposeful care, supportive services, and transformational opportunities that will benefit soldiers from the moment they enlist until long after they have completed their service and have gone on to the next chapter of their lives.
TRANSFORMATION
We help change soldiers’ lives through education, care, fellowship, and training opportunities that open the door to a brighter future.
EMPOWERMENT
We help equip soldiers with the practical life skills and education necessary to reach their full potential in their lives.
COMMUNITY
We encourage and strengthen soldiers’ connections to one another, to the Jewish people, and to the nation of Israel as they form bonds that will help them today and the rest of their lives.
Our programs are constantly evolving as we identify new ways to meet the most urgent needs of IDF soldiers.
Blessing Israel, One Soldier at a Time
Education
We transform soldiers’ lives through education programs that enable them to finish their service with pride and prepare them for opportunities ahead. FIDF’s education programs touch on the full spectrum of needs for soldiers from diverse backgrounds—completing high school, entering higher education, or going directly into the job market.
We give soldiers the tools to reach their full potential, which leads them to better academic, professional, and vocational possibilities.
“After completing my FIDF courses, I understood that with hard work and a little help, the sky is the limit! Thanks to FIDF, I received an opportunity that has truly changed my life.”
– Graduate of the Bagrut Matriculation Course
Lone Soldiers
We support the “Lone Soldiers” — young men and women from all over the world who choose to leave their families and the comfort of their homes to become brave IDF soldiers. Since these Lone Soldiers have no immediate family in Israel, FIDF supports these most deserving pioneers by providing housing, mentoring, a 24-hour call center, financial grants, flights to visit their families abroad, Shabbat meals, holiday gift packages, social gatherings, and so much more.
More than 3,000 Lone Soldiers from around the world, including over 1000 from North America, are currently serving in the IDF.
“There is nothing easy about the decision one makes to go to Israel and serve as a Lone Soldier. We leave our families, our friends and our homes. We must learn a new way of life and a new language. And while we may be called Lone Soldiers, FIDF makes sure we are never truly alone. For holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Pesach, when I open a gift card or a beautifully wrapped package from FIDF, I feel blessed that this organization appreciates my efforts as a soldier and truly cares about us.”
– Lt. Eric, IDF Lone Soldier
Financial Relief
We provide soldiers whose families are experiencing economic distress with financial relief. At any given moment, there are as many as one in five IDF soldiers burdened with the weight of their family’s financial difficulties. FIDF’s financial relief program lifts this concern from the shoulders of these disadvantaged soldiers so that they are free to focus on their duties to protect Israel.
Our programs aim to build the best conditions for success and help soldiers from low socioeconomic backgrounds build a brighter future.
“As a commander, I have endless satisfaction distributing help to the soldiers. With this aid, we are able to give back to these soldiers who give themselves day and night for the security of the state of Israel.”
– Nofar Maimon, Sergeant, Welfare NCO in the Rotem Brigade
Fallen & Wounded
We believe that soldiers who are hurt while risking their lives for the safety of Israel should not have to endure that burden alone. FIDF ensures that IDF soldiers who have suffered lifelong injuries or losses to protect the State of Israel can continue to live a high quality of life. FIDF’s Fallen and Wounded programs offer care and comfort to those who need it most.
Whether physical or psychological wounds, FIDF assists with their recovery process every step of the way, strengthening their mental and physical capabilities and providing them with the support that they need to find future happiness.
“For the first time since 2005, I feel at home. I finally have the support of people who understand my situation. These feelings give me closure I have been seeking. I am no longer alone.”
– A.B., Member of HFH
Community
We give soldiers a taste of “home away from home” while they are in service. FIDF construction projects aim to create environments in which the young men and women of the IDF can relax, connect with each other, stay in shape, commemorate and celebrate special days, and simply feel like themselves again outside of uniform.
Projects range from individual structures to comprehensive well-being complexes, and include recreation and sports centers, cultural and educational facilities, synagogues, memorial rooms, auditoriums, and living spaces for soldiers.