TEL AVIV — When A. moved from Florida to Israel after high school and began his mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces, he knew it would be challenging to serve in a combat unit far from his family.

“Combat service has been very difficult,” said A., whose name is being withheld to protect his identity, like those of other soldiers cited in this story. “I’ve had to face challenges I never could have imagined. But you go through it, and you come out able to handle things — even better than I could have before in my civilian life.”

Several months on, however, A., 19, still has trouble handling his civilian To Do list — like getting an Israeli driver’s license. He just has no time for it.

So when he heard that the Friends of the IDF-Nefesh B’Nefesh Lone Soldiers Program, in partners

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