Meet IDF Cpl. Eliyahu Frankel who is stationed in the Negev Desert, a long way from his hometown of New Jersey. Eliyahu, 19, is serving in a new IDF company: “Defenders of the Negev,” where soldiers maintain an observant Jewish lifestyle as they work to protect the State of Israel having extra time for prayers and Torah study. “I decided to enlist in the IDF because I wanted to contribute to the country and protect my people,” says Eliyahu. “I think that my journey here has really helped me in life…learning to never give up, and to stick together.”

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