The week of Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) is one of the most meaningful ones in Israel and, for me at least, these are the holidays whose observances in Israel differ most from the way they are observed the Diaspora.
Already last Friday, my son’s preschool had a seudat hoda’a, a celebratory meal, in honor of Yom Ha’atzmaut. Then, this past Monday, the school district I work in hosted a joint field day for all the preschools.
The day of Yom Ha’atzmaut itself is a national day off. The day before, which is Yom HaZikaron, the entire school day revolves around a memorial ceremony, while hundreds of thousands of people attend memorial ceremonies at military cemeteries across the country.
On a more personal note, when I read about the most recent IDF casualty, Ido Volloch, he seemingly had zero connection to American-speaking communities. Just a short while later though, my wife informed me he was a student in her school, having graduated just three years ago.
She knew his face.
She had taught his best friend.
When living in Israel, the degrees of separation practically evaporate.
Lone Soldiers from Colorado
[dropcap]While publications this week frequently contain profiles of those who tragically fell defending Israel, and rightly so, I believe it is also important to highlight the incredible stories of some of Colorado’s own IDF soldiers. Native Denverite Zachary Hunter, who is doing a MASA internship at the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, was kind enough to provide some intriguing statistics relating to Colorado and Israel.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, at least 48 Colorado Jews have made aliyah — immigrating to Israel to start new lives under the shadow of war. Plus, five new arrivals have taken the courageous step of enlisting in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as “lone soldiers,” young men and women without immediate family in the country.
What is striking is that among non-coastal states, Colorado has the third highest number of soldiers in Israel since Oct. 7, only Illinois and Texas and ahead of many other states with larger Jewish populations.
Behind these numbers are stories — stories of purpose, identity and unshakable commitment. Here are two such stories: Samantha “Sammy” Lowenthal and Joshua P., proud Denverites whose choice to defend Israel is rooted in personal conviction and deep community ties.
Sammy Lowenthal
Sammy Lowenthal, daughter of Lorie and Daniel, didn’t always set out to be a Lone Soldier, but as her teenage years progressed the idea began to sprout. A graduate of South High School and a member of BBYO, Sammy grew up in Denver’s Jewish community attending Rodef Shalom. Inspired in part by her father, a former IDF soldier, Sammy felt a calling to join the Israeli military long before the Oct. 7 war began.
“I figured I could always go to college,” she says. “But I can’t always join the army.”
Sammy enlisted in early 2024. After many months she finished her basic training in November. Today, she serves in the Air Force’s Iron Dome unit, a combat role that involves not only protecting the missile defense system on the ground but potentially operating it.
“The most meaningful moment for me was being stationed in the North before the ceasefire” (last November), she recalls. “We were under rocket fire almost daily. I was on guard duty when I saw one of our Iron Dome rockets intercept a threat overhead. That’s when I felt my service was most meaningful.”
Even so, the quiet days test her.
“The hardest part is all the guarding — especially when nothing seems to be happening. It’s easy to forget why you’re doing this. But you remind yourself, it’s not for nothing.”
An underappreciated reason for that guard duty is that it’s not just for Israel, but to enable people worldwide to support Israel as tourists. “I think that a lot of people around the world are scared to travel to Israel because of the war,” Sammy says, “but I believe that in some ways Israel is actually safer than America right now, and you shouldn’t be scared to come visit.”
Sammy hopes to travel after her service, then pursue higher education in New York or Israel.
Her advice to future Lone Soldiers?
“Don’t let being far from home scare you. Israelis will take you in like family. The number of people you meet in the army or just on the street that invite you home to have dinner with them or anything is simply amazing. And learn Hebrew — seriously, it helps a lot.”
Joshua P.
For Joshua P., son of Harvey and Jenna, the journey to becoming a Lone Soldier began long before he enlisted. “For as long as I can remember,” he shares, “I’ve felt a powerful, almost magnetic pull toward the Jewish people and the land of Israel.
“Growing up in America, I never saw Israel as just another place — it was home. I’ve always believed that being Jewish carries with it not just culture and heritage, but responsibility. So, when I graduated high school I didn’t hesitate. I told my parents, ‘You always knew this day would come.’ I packed my bags and made aliyah.”
A student at DAT High School in its earliest years as well as a at Yeshiva Toras Chaim, Joshua speaks with great fondness about the Denver community that shaped him.
“I remember the deep love and commitment the entire Denver community showed toward our brothers and sisters in Israel.
“Even in the yeshiva, during one of the wars, I saw people who described themselves as non-Zionists praying with full hearts for the safety of Israeli soldiers. That always stuck with me. No matter the differences in ideology, there was a powerful sense of unity — of Jews standing together in love and responsibility for one another.
“When people ask where I’m from, I tell them I’m a Denverite. It’s more than geography — it’s part of my identity.”
That identity, rooted in Jewish values and a strong sense of peoplehood, eventually led him to make aliyah in 2011 and enlist as a combat engineer soldier in 2012.
As part of his active-duty service, he participated in high-risk operations, including missions in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, dismantling enemy tunnels and ensuring troop mobility.
“It was intense and humbling work, and I’ll never forget the sense of purpose I felt — knowing that what we were doing on the ground was saving lives and protecting our people.”
Having faithfully reported for reserve duty in the decade following his discharge, Joshua was issued an emergency reserve duty call-up on Oct. 7, this time on Israel’s volatile northern border.
“We were involved in operations against Hezbollah, and even inside Lebanon. Every mission carried weight — not just militarily, but emotionally and spiritually.” He shares a deeply meaningful experience:
“It was Yom Kippur, and we were conducting sensitive operations against Hezbollah. We were mid-mission when the military rabbi told us we were required to eat. It was a mitzvah — because the work we were doing to protect lives came first.
“At that moment, I felt something profound: I wasn’t just observing the holiness of the day — I was living it. I gave up the fast, one of the most sacred parts of my year, in order to fulfill something even holier — defending my people.”
Tough transition
Joshua notes that the transition out of service is often the hardest part.
“When you’re in uniform, especially as a Lone Soldier, there’s a structure, a support network, and even a kind of spotlight on you. But once you finish, that spotlight disappears. You go from being celebrated to being completely on your own.
“Many Lone Soldiers end up returning to their countries of origin because the weight of that transition is simply too heavy to carry alone.
“It’s a challenge that needs to be acknowledged more openly. We need better systems in place to support these individuals after their service ends.”
In civilian life, Joshua works as a motorcycle security officer for the Jerusalem municipality, protecting kindergartens and schools from terror threats.
His advice for future Lone Soldiers is honest and heartfelt:
“There will be days you doubt yourself. Days when you question why you left home, why you gave up comfort for this path. But remember, you didn’t come because it was easy. You came because you care. Push through the hard days, hold on to your purpose and know that when it’s over, you’ll carry something with you for the rest of your life: the knowledge that you stood up when you didn’t have to, and that you gave your all for something greater than yourself.
“That’s something no one can ever take from you.”
‘Proud of heroic Coloradans’
Colorado’s disproportionately large support for Israel is something to be proud of.
This was previously evidenced by Colorado contributing double its share in the post-Oct. 7 JFNA emergency campaign, and now there is further evidence with this new report on the disproportionate number of Lone Soldiers from Colorado.
The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration has taken notice, with its spokesperson, Danny Adeno Abebe, saying:
“The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and the State of Israel are incredibly proud of the heroic Coloradans who have fulfilled the Zionist dream and come to the defense of the Jewish State.
“The support and contributions of the Mountain States Jewish community exemplify the unbreakable bond between the State of Israel and world Jewry writ large.”
© IJN 2025
