A lone soldier is someone who serves in the IDF without parents in Israel. Many are olim who came alone, some are the children of families abroad. When the service ends, the people who were there for those years are spread out: friends from the unit, a host family or kibbutz family that gave them a home for Shabbat and holidays, friends from ulpan, and parents who are either flying in for it or watching from another time zone.
The release, shichrur in Hebrew, is a good reason to put all of them in one room for the first time. This guide plans that evening.
Who comes to the party
The unit
The friends who did the service with them. They bring the stories, the inside jokes and usually the best photos. Invite them early: their own schedules depend on the army until the last day.
The host family
The family that hosted them for Friday dinners, did the laundry on weekends and answered the phone at night. For many lone soldiers this is the family in Israel, and the party is a chance to say thank you in public.
Parents, here or on screen
Some parents fly in for the release, some can't. Either way, plan their part of the evening: a toast in person, or a live call on the big screen.
Everyone else
Friends from ulpan, roommates, colleagues from a part-time job, other lone soldiers. A release party usually lands between 25 and 50 guests, and the space holds up to 60.
Timing around the release date
Release dates can move by a few days, so don't build the party on the last day of service itself. Wait until the date is confirmed, then book for 3 to 10 days after. The soldier gets a few days to sleep, hand in equipment and feel like a civilian, and friends still in service have time to get leave.
If parents are flying in, set the flight after the date is confirmed and leave 2 days between landing and the party for jet lag. Thursday night is the big night out in Tel Aviv. Friday noon suits a host family with small children. Saturday evening works for friends still in service who are home for the weekend.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 2 months before release | Pick a rough window with the parents and the host family |
| When the date is confirmed | Book the space for 3 to 10 days after, parents book flights |
| 3 weeks before | Invite the unit, ask for photos for the slideshow |
| 2 weeks before | Ask family abroad for the message video |
| 1 week before | Confirm speakers, send the team the slideshow and playlist |
| The night | Speeches in the first hour, then the party |
7 ideas for the party
1. A slideshow of the service
From the first day in uniform to the last week, 30 to 40 photos, 5 seconds each, on the projector. Ask the unit for photos 3 weeks before. Leave out anything that shouldn't be on a screen: faces of people who prefer not to be shown, or anything from inside a base.
2. A toast from the commander or a unit friend
One person who saw the service up close, 2 minutes on the microphone. A commander who can come is a strong moment; a close friend from the unit works just as well. One good story beats a list of achievements.
3. A message video from home
Relatives, school friends and neighbours abroad record 20 to 30 seconds each. Edit it to 3 or 4 minutes and play it after the toasts. For a soldier who missed years of family events back home, this is often the moment they remember.
4. Parents live on the big screen
If the parents can't fly in, a live video call on the projector with sound through the speakers, for 5 to 10 minutes. Tel Aviv is usually 7 hours ahead of New York, so an evening call reaches the US East Coast in the afternoon. Test the link the day before.
5. A thank-you to the host family
Let the soldier say it, briefly, with the host family in the front of the room. A small framed photo from one of those Friday dinners makes a good gift to hand over.
6. A playlist from the service years
The songs from the bus rides, the base and the weekends off. Ask the unit to add to a shared playlist and send it to the team in advance.
7. A message board for the next chapter
A board or a book where guests write one line: a wish for the trip after the army, for studies, for whatever comes next.
A party, not a ceremony
The service had enough formations. Keep the formal part to the first hour: 3 or 4 short speeches, the slideshow, the video from home. Then the lights go down and the music goes up. Nobody needs to wear uniform, and the evening is about the person, not about politics or the army as an institution.
Checklist for the night
- Confirmed release date before you book
- Slideshow on a laptop, tested
- Message video from home
- Video call link for the parents
- 3 or 4 speakers, 2 minutes each
- A gift for the host family
- Shared playlist sent to the team
- A message book and pens
Ezra for a release party
One group per event
Ezra is a private event space in Tel Aviv that closes for one group per event, so the unit, the host family and the parents have the room to themselves.
20 to 50 guests, up to 60
Most groups are 20 to 50 guests, with up to 60. A smaller group of 15 to 30 gets a seated, standing or mixed layout.
Projector, screen and two microphones
A projector and fold-out screen, two microphones and a PA with two main speakers, a subwoofer, four monitors and a mixer are in the room, for the slideshow, the toasts and the call home.
Dairy-vegetarian menu, no kashrut certificate
The menu is sharing-style and dairy-vegetarian, from the taboon, with no meat, fish or seafood. Ezra has no kashrut certificate and is open on Shabbat.
An English-speaking team
The team speaks English and can plan everything with parents abroad over WhatsApp. See the formats on events for up to 50 guests. If the soldier came on aliyah alone, the aliyah party ideas guide has more ways to bring two countries into one room.
The bottom line
A lone soldier's release party brings together everyone who stood behind those years: the unit, the host family and the parents. Book it 3 to 10 days after the confirmed release date, keep the speeches short, show the service on the big screen and bring home in by video. Then make it a party.
A release party in a private space, up to 60 guests
Food, bar, projector and microphones in one room, and an English-speaking team for parents planning from abroad. A proposal within 24 hours.
Events for up to 50 Ask on WhatsAppFrequently asked questions
What is a lone soldier?
A lone soldier is someone who serves in the IDF without parents living in Israel. Many are olim who came on their own, others are the children of families abroad.
When is a lone soldier release party held?
After the release date is confirmed, 3 to 10 days after the last day of service. Release dates can move, so don't build the party on the release day itself.
How do lone soldiers include parents abroad in the release party?
Put them on a live video call on the projector for 5 to 10 minutes, with sound through the speakers, and test the link the day before. A recorded message video from relatives abroad adds the rest of the family.
How many speeches at an army release party?
3 or 4, of about 2 minutes each, in the first hour. A commander or a unit friend, the host family, a parent and the soldier. Then the party starts.
Can parents abroad plan the party in English?
Yes. Ezra's team speaks English, and the whole plan can be made over WhatsApp from abroad, including the slideshow, the video call and the timing.