"Dad's dream was to get to the Squadron":
Ari and Ron, 18, twin brothers from New York, immigrated to Israel this week to enlist as lone soldiers for Squadron 13, the elite unit to which their father wanted to go himself.
The brothers arrived in Israel with a group of 48 immigrants from across North America, and will enlist in the IDF this August, as part of the program for lone soldiers of "Nefesh Benefesh" and the FIDF. Navy.
Ari and Ron, who recently graduated from high school, were born in the United States to Israeli parents and the maritime space is no stranger to them. Ari was a professional swimmer, and for a decade was ranked 10th in the U.S. in butterfly swimming and even broke a world record in crossfit.
Ron was part of a sports rowing team for four years, ranked among the top 10 teams in New York State.
Fighters of Squadron 13 in an exercise near a gas rig, Photo: Archive: IDF Spokesman
"We grew up in a very Zionist home, and despite the geographical distance, we were educated on the love of the country," the brothers explained the reasons for their arrival.
"Both our parents served in the army in their youth. Our father was a fighter and an officer in one of the IDF commando units, but he shared with us that his original dream was to reach Squadron 13. After considering all the options we were given, we decided the Navy was the home we wanted to be. "And we want to strive to reach the highest possible level - Squadron 13. We are really happy and excited to immigrate to Israel and contribute back to the country through significant military service."
The delegation arrives in Israel with the help of the Nefesh Benefesh organization and in cooperation with the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption, the Jewish Agency, the JNF and JNF-USA. Of young people from all over the world to come to Israel on their own and serve in the IDF, "is not self-evident."
"We salute the two brothers who bravely chose to devote their best years to defending the Jewish state. They could have done anything else in New York, but instead chose to immigrate to Israel and enlist in the IDF. For us, they are a role model. We are very proud of them and will continue to stand by them." Along the way, "
said Steve Weil, executive director of FIDF.
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