Time to Live — The Story of Lea

Why we opened this campaign

Lea was born in Ukraine, but whole her childhood she was dreaming about doing Aliyah to Israel. After graduating school she made her decision to fulfill a dream.

And now Lea is here. A new immigrant, a soldier in the legendary “Caracal” battalion.
In Israel, when you say “she serves in Caracal,” no further explanation is needed.
These are the same brave girls who, on October 7, 2023, fought for 17 hours against terrorists and destroyed dozens of them.
Lea was among the first women to enter Gaza.
Later, she transferred to a combat medical unit, helping evacuate the wounded.
In total — 400 days of reserve duty and the title of “Outstanding Soldier,” awarded personally by the President of Israel.

During her service, Lea lived in Kibbutz Sa’ad near the Gaza border.
There, she found people who became her second family.
But now it’s time to live, time to move forward.
Lea has been accepted to the School of Government at Reichman University. Ahead lies a challenging path — in Hebrew, which still isn’t her native tongue.
She now rents a small apartment, building her life from scratch.
She has no family in Israel, no one to rely on — only herself.
Rent, deposits, and moving expenses have nearly wiped out her modest savings.

Now Lea needs a computer, printer, textbooks, and study materials.
At the Yad Itzhak Foundation, we truly believe that soldiers like Lea — lone soldiers — deserve to start their civilian life without debt, and we must do everything we can to help them study, eat well, and stay warm in winter.
A small gift — 50, 70, or 100 shekels — is our way of saying:
“Thank you for being alive. Thank you that we are alive.
Because as long as you stand on the front line — our children can sleep peacefully.”

Join us in helping Lea.