The Lone Soldier Podcast

Noy Leyb was born and raised in Canada, and at 18 moved to Israel to join the IDF. Since then, he has been an activist fighting against antisemitism. On October 7th, Noy was living in New York, where he was the COO and co-founder of a Tech-stars backed company. Noy left his company behind him, and boarded the first flight to Israel to join his unit in the war against Hamas. His commitment to Israel extends beyond the battlefield - Noy is a social media advocate (Instagram), and has amassed tens of thousands of followers, and millions of views.

Following his release from Gaza this past January, instead of taking a vacation (like I did), Noy traveled to different communities in the US and Canada to share his unique perspective. He has spoken to thousands of people, ranging from 5th graders to seniors, both Jewish and non-Jewish. In May, Noy flew back to Israel, this time to the Northern border, where he was stationed when we recorded this podcast. 

We discussed what it was like growing up as a Canadian with Israeli parents, and his journey from feeling more Canadian to (now) more Israeli. We spoke about drafting, tryouts, and the challenges of military service, both mental and physical. 

When Noy got out of the service, he moved to Australia with his brother, and sold Dead Sea products. On this episode, he dispelled several rumors about that line of work which you'll have to listen to uncover.  Noy and I discussed our experiences with Antisemitism in NY and around the world following our deployment to Gaza.

We also spoke about our experiences fighting Hamas in the Beit Hanoun neighborhood of the Gaza Strip (we entered Gaza on the same day, and spent 6 weeks 100 meters away from each other, though we never saw each other). We discussed PTSD among soldiers who have fought in this war, and what is being done to address it. We closed with a discussion of the most common mistruths that Noy hears Israel accused of, and how to refute them. 

Bernardo CT made Aliyah from Mexico City in 2006, and spent over 16 years in Israel’s security forces, during which time he carried out hundreds of operations. His expertise covers high-risk police tactics, special operations (SOF), dignitary protection (CP) and close quarters battle (CQB). He  served as a Federal Air Marshall, personal bodyguard to the Chief of Staff (IDF), a combat instructor and counter assault team member within the Israeli Security Agency.

Bernardo is also the founder of Tsevet Lohamim ("team of warriors"),  a non-profit organization dedicated to mentoring lone soldiers, minorities, & at-risk youth, unlocking their leadership potential in preparation for military service. It was through that program over 12 years ago that I met the men who remain among my closest friends to this day.  

But there are a lot of things Bernardo’s resume won’t tell you. When I first moved to Israel, craving interactions with people my own age, but lacking the money to move to Tel Aviv, Bernardo and his two roommates Rachel and Daniel allowed me to move into their living room free of charge until I could afford to pay rent.  

Prior to the trip on which he enlisted in the IDF, Bernardo had never been to Israel. Though he was among the strongest in the tryouts for the special forces of the Nahal Brigade, he accidentally quit in the middle by raising his hand, not yet speaking enough Hebrew to understand what the commander was saying.  After losing friends in the Lebanon war, Bernardo re-enlisted, this time into the special forces (Palsar Nachal). Many of those training him were suffering from PTSD from the war, and they took that out on Bernardo and the other trainees. 

We spoke of some of the tougher experiences of Bernardo's combat service - one of his commanders was hit with an IED, and friends were shot. 

After spending some time as an officer in the dignitary protection unit, Bernardo decided to go back to combat service, and tried out for and was accepted into Yamas, one of the most active and elite units in Israel.  Yamas specializes in utilizing low visibility undercover tactics to capture violence criminals in high risk areas and counter terrorism throughout Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. 

Bernardo’s job on the team was to break doors, which came with a great benefit: “Even if the mission was not successful, I at least got to break down a door, and that’s always fun.”  We discussed violent missions, but also the many occasions on which Bernardo used restraint when the rules of engagement would have allowed him to shoot to kill.  

He told me the powerful story of a mission (on which he risked his life and many of his teammates were injured) to arrest a Palestinian who had killed another Palestinian. Israel risking the lives of it’s elite soldiers to bring about justice for Palestinians in Area C (sovereign Palestinian territory) is a story that is not often told in the media.  Bernardo served alongside Jews, Druze, Christians, and Muslim Arabs in Yamas, another fact that is often missing from the media's narrative.

We spoke about Israel’s edge in undercover operations as compared to other armies, and closed with Bernado's advice for future lone soldiers. Bernardo is an instructor at Tactical Fitness Austin, which will be partnering with Legion Alpha in February to bring subsidized Krav Maga to the Austin community.  Bernardo can be found on Instagram, Linkedin, and reached by email at [email protected]. 

In the heart of the 2008 financial crisis, with a degree from Harvard, and a highly coveted job, Adam Ross did something unthinkable. He quit his job, left behind everyone he knew and loved, and moved to Israel to enlist in the IDF.

His friends and family thought he was crazy, but Adam was disillusioned with the life he thought he wanted, and realized he wanted to become something bigger. For Adam, it wasn't about chasing the bad guys, and the good vs. evil narrative to which many lone soldiers are drawn. It was about helping people, and in that capacity, one unit stood out: 669 - the IDF's elite search and rescue commando unit.

While nearly ten thousand Israelis begin the selection process, only a few dozen finish training in each cycle for 669, and to add to the stress of an already stressful 18 month training regimen, the tryout never ends: people are cut from training at every point until the finish. 

669 commandos are trained in combat rescue diving, emergency medicine, high angle rescue (rappelling/ropes), infiltration, counter-terrorism, close quarters combat, solo navigation, and more. The intensity, as Adam put it, is indescribable.  While we are all familiar with "being pushed to the breaking point," 669 takes it a step further. Once you reach your breaking point, that is where the training begins. To Adam, despite having seen combat in an active war-zone, he felt the training was the hardest part of his military service. 

We discussed the idea that hardship reveals character - who you really are, and what your true priorities really are become revealed. But it also builds character - since his service, Adam has had a new perspective on what "hard" really means. People who leave the unit do so with the  quiet confidence of knowing what they are capable of, but also with the humility of knowing that they can be broken, and that the world can break anyone. 

Adam was active during the 2014 Gaza war, and we discussed the challenges and professionalism displayed by 669, and the moment Adam believed that his death was imminent.  

When Adam left Israel, it was hard to leave a place where people knew and appreciated what he had done to come back to the U.S. where nobody really understood or cared, which is a problem many combat veterans (myself included) face on their return back to the civilian world. But a paradigm shift happened for Adam after some time - in the IDF he had prided himself on being different, and having tested his character and put his life on the line - you can't help but feel a little "better than" syndrome. When he came back to the civilian world, he realized that those who had stayed on "the path" were actually ahead of him in this new world. He came to the conclusion that you shouldn't try to put yourself on par with anyone else - people choose different paths, and you need to play into your strengths, and exploit them, rather than lament your weaknesses. 

For Adam, that meant not working in an office for someone who couldn't possibly understand what he was capable of - he wanted to keep leading teams, and decided to begin buying companies.  The companies are small enough that Adam is heavily involved, and continues to exercise the leadership principles he learned as a small team commander in 669 to incentivize and reward people for their hard work. 

The army taught Adam that people do not alway making rational decisions - we discussed that to sift through hundreds of opportunities, one has to look at the seller and understand his/her real motivations and trustworthiness, so that he is only doing diligence on companies that have the right ingredients. You can find Adam on Linkedin (linked above) or twitter. 

Max Long made Aliyah from Boston, Massachusetts in 2015 and as a new immigrant with no Hebrew, family, or community, began his journey at the absorption center in Raanana.  At the age of 18  Max enlisted in the IDF as a Lone Soldier in the Yahalom unit, which is a specialized combat engineering unit. After completing his service, he founded Concierge Group Real Estate and Aliyah Concierge with a mission to provide informed guidance, advice, and consultation to investors seeking economically-backed real estate investment opportunities in the Jewish Homeland.  Max is also the founder and Executive Director of the GroWings foundations. 

At Mikveh Alon, Max learned to make the best of the resources the Army made available to him, and committed himself to learning Hebrew.  And yet, having arrived in Israel with no grasp of Hebrew, it was still far from perfect by the time he arrived at his unit. Max learned to read facial expressions and trust his instincts as he sought to react to commands he didn't quite grasp with the lightening speed required to be successful in basic training. Max credits the ability to read faces that has helped him achieve success in business to his IDF experience. 

We touched on the challenges inherent in serving in a military that speaks a language you don't fully understand, particularly challenges around leadership that one might be qualified for but unable to assert. We discussed the March of the Return in 2018, and the level of desperation required for such dangerous actions on behalf of many Palestinians who participated. The morality of the IDF was apparent to both of us in the actions we observed by teammates and those we participated in, at times risking their/our own lives to prevent civilian casualties. We also spoke abut the terror tunnels built by Hamas at a cost of $150,000,000 that was meant to build up the infrastructure of Gaza, and the tragedy of leaders who are more interested in violence than the wellbeing of their people. 

At the end of his service, Max created GroWings, a non-profit that brings together pre-draft lone soldiers and released lone soldiers for mentorship. The trip takes the group to Poland, where they can witness firsthand the atrocities that befell our people when we had no place to call home. Max has created a community, where released lone soldiers, new immigrants, and Israelis can help lone soldiers get housing, and find community in their new home. One of the many projects they undertake (with no overhead costs) is Mitzvah day, where people bring shabbat meals to lone soldiers apartments and check in on them. 

After gaining invaluable experience helping lone soldiers navigate the Aliyah process, Max realized that anyone moving to Israel needs a home and support through that process, whether it's going to government offices or getting the rights they deserve. That's what lead to the birth of Aliyah Concierge, a business centered around helping people make Aliyah. 

Max is in the process of developing an app that will help lone soldiers by aggregating the resources available to them into one place. 

Max can be reached by email at: [email protected]

On Episode 5, I spoke with Dr. Michael Oren.  Michael served as Israel's ambassador to the U.S. from 2009 to 2013. He is the author of many books,  including NYT's best-sellers Power, Faith and Fantasy and Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East. He recently released his first 2 novels, To All Who Call in Truth, and The Night Archer and Other Stories. I was honored that Michael agreed to blurb my book, A Line in the Sand, which can be found on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The Jerusalem Post listed Oren as one of the ten most influential Jews in the world. Most relevant to this podcast, Michael was a lone soldier long before that was trendy. 

We spoke about the conditions in Israel in 1979 when Michael made Aliyah, as well as the Army. Back then there were also no rules and restrictions about training - his red beret march was twice as long as mine (135 KM!). We also spoke about some of the punishments that Michael endured that today would land the administrating commander in Jail.  We touched on Michaels experiences in Lebanon, his time in the Soviet Underground, and his participation in the disengagement from Gaza in 2005. 

As someone who has myself struggled with learning disabilities and ADHD, I was interested to  hear about how Michael's own learning disabilities shaped his trajectory. He showed me the award he was given for the learning disabled person who has achieved most in life, which he received alongside Joe Biden. Despite the belief many hold that Oren's path was a linear journey from success to success, he experienced many hardships. For a while, he wondered if he would have money to feed his family, and was urged by many to stop writing and pursue a different career path. 

We touched on the history of Jews in Judea and Samaria, and the peace process. Michael spoke about Israel's attempted concessions in the wake of the 6-day war, and the Khartoum conference in which the Arab world famously responded with the 3 no's: no peace, no recognition, and no negotiation with Israel.  During his time as a member of the Israeli Government, Michael proposed many development projects in Judea and Samaria that were shot down because the Palestinian Authority (PA) did not  want to "normalize the occupation," even if it came at the expense of their own people. As an example, Israel offered the PA free COVID vaccines which they refused to accept.  We spoke about what it  means to actually be pro-Palestinian, the barrier to peace posed by UNRWA, and the danger to Israel of accepting U.S. aid. In 2016, Michael was the only member of the Israeli government who voted against the continuation of U.S. aid, and he explains why.

Michael believes the Biden administration is very pro-Israel, but noted that as Democrats their platform necessarily supports a two-state solution and a deal with Iran. He believes that an ideal outcome is one in which the U.S. and like-minded Nations come together to do whatever is necessary to prevent Iran from becoming a Nuclear power. 

We touched on the significance of the inclusion of the Arab party in the present ruling coalition, and the implications for the ultra-Orthodox who until then had been the swing voters, and will now perhaps have to lean towards greater compromise. 

Finally, we discussed the miracle of Jews from 70 countries who don't share a language or a culture who have come together in country with no natural resources, surrounded by enemies,  to forge a common destiny.  Israel has exceeded Michael's wildest dreams. 

On episode 4, I spoke with Jason Blankfield, CEO and founder of Frontline Leadership.  Prior to enlisting in the IDF, Jason describes himself as a passive observer of a life that had been chosen for him. When Jason graduated from University, he felt strongly that he needed to deviate from that path.  As he looked at a map of the world, a single country jumped out at him. Within several days, he had booked a one way ticket to Israel. 

Two years later, Jason was an active duty, search and rescue commando. Whenever the alarm sounded, Jason and this team had 15 minutes to be airborne. Along the way, they were fed information, and in teams of 5, including a doctor and a combat medic, they faced whatever challenges confronted them. They were trained in emergency medicine, parachuting, counter-terrorism, scuba-diving, evasion, and many other skills. 

We spoke about the uncertainty that search and rescue commandos face heading into unknown circumstances, which was reflected in their training; Jason was never told when he would be off base, when and for how long they would march, or when a drill was going to end. Their training was designed to create soldiers that were ready for anything. 

We dove into personal questions of sacrifice, growth, and accountability. We touched on the idea that the people around you create a space for the person they believe you to be - and who you might have  once been. When you change, it is difficult to fit back into the box that people once put you in.  When Jason changed from a pessimist who believed the deck of life was stacked against him, to someone who took accountability for all things in his life, he knew he couldn't tell people he had changed. He had to show them that things were different. His team ultimately gave him the space to make that shift. 

In his civilian career, Jason works with businesses and puts them through experiences that allow them to understand what the military taught us - that greatness is not possible without commitment, trust, and a cohesive team. He shows businesses and leaders what's possible when they collaborate at a different level, and overcome the mental barriers that prevent them from achieving their potential.

This week I spoke with Omer Rom, who is currently working for one of Australia's top law firms. Omer grew up on stories of Israel and the IDF from his father and grandfather, and on a year-long trip to Israel at the age of 18, resolved that he would one day come back to serve. Thanks to some good advice from his mother (shout out to Mama Rom!), Omer decided to do his first year of law school prior to enlisting, which he was able to defer until the end of his service. Omer and I shared some laughs about the ridiculousness of Israeli culture and the military, and some serious thoughts on what connects us so strongly to Israel, and what we learned about the country during our service. We touched on the benefits of hardship in building and revealing character, and lessons learned from strong leaders in the army and in our lives. Omer talked about how teamwork kept him going when times got hard, and how it continues to serve him in the civilian world.  

The lessons that Omer shared in this episode transcend the military, and are important for anyone who works on a team, or wants to be a leader in their life. 

On episode 2 of the Lone Soldier Podcast, I spoke with Sean Ir, whose journey to and through the IDF was unconventional.  Sean was extremely motivated and strong, both mentally and physically, having grown up working 16 hour days in his father's bike shop. At 24 years old,  after struggling for years to reconcile his career ambitions in the U.S. with his dream of military service in Israel, Sean ultimately made the decision to enlist.   In the IDF, you are part of something bigger than yourself, and part of that reality is that the unit in which you ultimately serve is not up to you.  Sean was not put into the special operations company that would have likely been a much better fit for a young man with his motivation and physical prowess, and we spoke in depth about how that impacted his experience in the IDF.

We discussed the importance of serving for the love of service, rather than for glory, and the disappointments and triumphs of Sean's military service.  We touched on Sean's experiences in the 2006 Lebanon war, and as the sharpshooter and lead navigator for his reserve unit's special operations company. 

Sean was one of the first 500 lone soldiers to enlist through Garin Tzabar. During the ten years he lived and worked in Israel he founded three mobility startups including Cellepathy, which addresses driver distraction and navigation. He now works for a leading tech company in NYC.  I hope you enjoy! 

Note: The 78-pound weapon that Sean and I talked about during the podcast is the MK 19 automatic grenade launcher.

On this episode, the first of the Lone Soldier Podcast, I sat down with Nuri Golan, a former commando and officer in Shayetet 13, the Israeli Navy Seals. Nuri moved to Israel after getting his degree in Aeronautical Engineering from George Washington University, and served for 6 years in the Seal teams. Nuri and I spoke about the move from the United States to Israel and the cultural adjustment that came with it. We went on to discuss the good, bad, ugly, and funny parts of training and military service, as well as lessons learned from special forces training. We touched on how those lessons served Nuri in the business world, and even managed to sneak a little politics in at the end. After finishing his military service, Nuri founded and ultimately sold EXO technologies to Lear Corporation before beginning his latest adventure as the CEO and cofounder of Sosivio. I hope you enjoy! 

0:00 - Welcome to the Podcast
2:00 - What inspired Nuri to join the IDF
4:32 - Joining the IDF as an adult surrounded by 18 year olds
7:07 - Funny story highlighting the challenge of company commanders being the same age as their soldiers
8:21 - Pre-Army Life
9:15 - The tryout process for the Navy Seals
11:45- What motivated Nuri to push through the tryouts
14:18 - What the evaluators are looking for in cadets during the tryouts
16:01 - Basic/Advanced Training
18:40 - Funny stories from Basic
21:18 - Life off base
22:22 - Swimming out the booze
23:22 - The Lone Soldier community
26:28 - The challenges of being a Lone Soldier 
28:25 - The pace of life in the military
31:10 - The IDF looking after it's Lone Soldiers
34:30 - Becoming an Officer
36:14 - Interactions with American Soldiers
39:15 - Adversity builds character
41:00 - The psychology of pushing through adversity
45:30 - Readjusting to civilian life. 
50:00 - The bonds between soldiers endure after service
51:40 - The Masters program that ultimately led Nuri to become the CEO of EXO Technologies
55:38 - The move to America
57:53- Getting bought
59:29 - Nuri's new role as the CEO/Co-founder of Sosivio
1:02:00 - Lessons from the Special Forces and their application to business
1:03:50 - Teamwork
1:04:15 - Admitting your mistakes
1:05:57 - Politics
1:11:10 - Closing thoughts- advice for future IDF soldiers/entrepreneurs