Diaspora Soldiers in the IDF: Beyond Zionist Ideology
Lior Yohanani
In recent months, following the war in Gaza, IDF soldiers from the diaspora – formally known as "lone soldiers" – have received considerable media attention. Numerous articles describe the heroism of thousands of young Jews who left their lives in the United States to enlist in the IDF, driven by an ideological commitment to defend the homeland of the Jewish people. As a researcher specializing in the motivations underlying the nexus of military service, migration, and citizenship, I believe that emphasizing Zionist-ideological commitment provides only a partial picture of what motivates young people from the diaspora to enlist in the IDF. My research, based on a comprehensive survey and in-depth interviews, reveals a far more complex picture.
The Israeli case is unique in the global landscape of diaspora military recruitment. Unlike other countries, where diaspora recruitment occurs primarily during times of crisis (as in Ukraine today or Yugoslavia in the 1990s) or within the framework of mandatory conscription for citizens abroad (as in South Korea), Israel has developed an institutionalized system for recruiting volunteers from the diaspora, even during routine non-emergency periods. This is a state-led apparatus that integrates the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, major Jewish organizations, and Jewish and Israeli communities abroad.
In my research, recently published in Comparative Migration Studies, I explored who these lone soldiers enlisting in the IDF are and what motivates them to enlist, especially when there is no state of emergency or conscription requirement. To answer these questions, I conducted a comprehensive survey of over 1,100 lone soldiers and in-depth interviews with approximately 100 of them. Additionally, I interviewed a series of key figures in organizations that recruit and assist lone soldiers, who provided an institutional perspective on the phenomenon. The analysis integrated quantitative data from the survey, which enabled observing broad patterns, with interview data, which provided deeper and more complex understanding of the soldiers' motivations and experiences.
I identified three main groups of diaspora soldiers, each with a distinct set of characteristics and motivations: Jews from North America; Jews from former Soviet Union states – this is the largest group of lone soldiers from abroad, despite receiving relatively little media coverage; and Israeli-Americans who grew up in North America to Israeli parents and are sociologically distinct from American Jews.
Jews from North America typically come from established and religious Jewish communities, where they absorbed Zionist education from a young age. They grew up with values that elevate Aliyah to Israel and service in the IDF, and participated in Zionist youth programs. However, beyond the ideological motive, many of them are seeking refuge from pressures in their communities – for example, the expectation of academic success - and view Israel as an alternative pathway to achievement and social status. For some, Zionism serves as a convenient narrative that masks more complex motivations, such as a desire to escape a complicated family environment, conservative communal values, and restrictive social norms. Many of them arrive in Israel through long-term volunteer programs ranging from several months to a year and are considering long-term immigration to Israel. Military service is perceived as the authentic and ultimate Israeli experience through which one can deeply experience and understand Israeli society, without the mediation and filters of programs like Birthright and Taglit.
Jews from the former Soviet Union present a more pragmatic approach to military service. While their Jewish background makes Israel an attractive immigration destination, Zionism is not the primary motivator. They view Israel as an opportunity for a better life, with accessible higher education, employment opportunities, and greater freedom. Many of them arrive through Aliyah-designed programs that enable them to study in Israel and become familiar with it (e.g., Na'ale, Sela). Military service is often perceived as a natural next step of the immigration process or a "tax" they must pay in order to live in a better place. The pragmatic approach is also evident in the type of service preferred: they favor roles that will provide professional training that could later be used in the post-service job market, such as drivers, technicians, or medical assistants, over combat and other prestigious roles.
Israeli Americans, who grew up in the United States to Israeli parents, live in a "transnational social field" and navigate between different sets of cultures: the American pathway orienting them toward college and the Israeli path directing them toward military service. Despite growing up in the US, many of them feel a certain alienation from American society and seek to explore their Israeli roots more deeply. They enlist primarily to strengthen their wavering Israeli identity and to avoid the stigma of being "free riders." Many of them use terms like "imposter" or "fake" to describe how they felt before enlisting, and sometimes how they think about other Israelis abroad who did not enlist in the military. For them, military service is a necessary rite of passage that enables a genuine sense of belonging to Israeli society, whether or not they intend to remain in Israel.
The common denominator across all groups is that military service is perceived first and foremost as a gateway into Israeli society and a source of social legitimacy. Soldiers from all three groups expect that military service will "compensate" for not having grown up in Israel and enable them to form friendships with other Israelis. Based on their military contribution, and in accordance with the republican model of citizenship that links duties to rights, they expect to "become" Israelis – both on a symbolic level and on a practical level (acquiring language, culture, and friends).
It is important to emphasize that these soldiers' expectations for an accelerated socialization process in the IDF rarely materialize. Despite the state's significant investment in diaspora soldiers many of them experience significant difficulties. Even among the most enthusiastic soldiers, most interviewees reported hardships in forming friendships with Israelis, dealing with language gaps, and cultural differences that complicate smooth integration. For many, the disparity between expectations and reality leads to intense feelings of loneliness and alienation. Being far from family and lacking a social support system makes coping with the challenges of service all the more challenging. The need to navigate complex Israeli bureaucracy, often with very limited Hebrew proficiency, adds to the sense of alienation and frustration.
In light of this, understanding the complexity of motivations for enlistment is more crucial now than ever. While the war may heighten ideological motivation among soldiers from abroad, it is important that state institutions and Jewish communities supporting these soldiers adopt a more holistic approach and recognize the varied and pragmatic motivations driving these young people. Rather than recognizing these soldiers primarily for their ideological motivations, they must provide a comprehensive response that addresses the full range of needs and challenges facing diaspora soldiers, especially during wartime.
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Dr. Lior Yohanani is a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute and a lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Tel Aviv University. His research focuses on the intersection of security and migration, civil-military relations, and political sociology.
This post is based on the following article:
Yohanani, L. (2024). Fighting to belong: drivers for transnational diaspora military service in Israel and beyond. Comparative Migration Studies, 12(1), 8 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-024-00363-6.