When Davida, 25, from Chicago, was living in Herzliya in central Israel during her final year of her Israeli army service, she heard from friends about the Wings program and that it can help soldiers during their service and after being discharged. With her release date approaching, she knew Wings would be a vital resource.
Wings provides young, new immigrants who make Aliyah on their own and want to enlist in the IDF as “lone soldiers” a comprehensive support network. A joint program established in 2005 by The Jewish Agency together with the Merage Foundation and Friends of Israel Defense Forces (FIDF), Wings accompanies over 3,500 young immigrants each year from over 50 countries throughout their army service, offering assistance before they enlist, during their time in the IDF and after their discharge as well. Participants receive career guidance, emotional support, financial coaching and more, ensuring they get everything they need to adjust to life in Israel, succeed in the IDF, and become independent and contributing citizens.
Davida served as a medic in a combat unit from December 2017 to December 2019 and felt Wings would provide her with valuable support as she transitioned to civilian life.
“I immediately reached out to Wings and signed up for their aptitude test and I started going to some of their events in January 2020,” said Davida. “And then I also began meeting with a Wings representative, having monthly meetings where he helped me with the bureaucratic processes whether I was getting a job, applying to school, paying taxes, etc.”
Davida enrolled at Reichman University and completed her BA in Communications in 2024. Her university experience was interrupted by the October 7, 2023, attacks when she was drafted into reserves on October 8, 2023, and served as a medic in the south for four months. During that time, Wings was extremely supportive.
“Wings were very kind to me while I was in reserves and even though I hadn’t been actively participating in programming for over a year they reached out to check in on me,” Davida shared. “And then to my surprise, around March 2024 I got a phone call from Wings saying we want to fly your family to Israel for Pesach. I had missed my family so dearly and I was in shock that the organization was offering to bring my mom and brother to Israel for two weeks and put them up in a hotel just to celebrate Pesach amongst all the chaos.”
That experience, of Wings going above and beyond in the wake of the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war in Israel, only further cemented Davida’s appreciation for the organization.
“Wings is an organization that’s very pure and authentic. They believe in supporting the young lone soldier immigrants as they defend the Jewish homeland,” added Davida. “And I know that if I were ever to need anything, I have an entire family to lean on: Wings.”
