Benji's House: A Home for Israel's Lone Soldiers

STRICTLY SECURITY | Lone soldiers serving in the Israeli military often do not have a proper place to call home. Some even spend much of their free weekends looking for a place to sleep, and making sure they have everything they need. Benji's House offers an alternative for some of them — with home-cooked meals, laundry, and a real sense of family. Our Lauren Izso has the story.

Story:
There’s really no place like home.

Unfortunately, not every soldier serving in the Israeli military is lucky enough to have one. Especially lone soldiers: those who serve, but without a family support system in the country.

'Since I'm a combat soldier, I'm not at home a lot — but when I think of home after a hard week, I think of Habayit Shel Benji,' an IDF lone soldier and resident of the house said.

Habayit Shel Benji, or Benji’s Home is a place for lone soldiers serving in combat units to live.

'Today, we have 87 bedrooms. Each soldier has their own room, which is the model we believe should be the correct model for lone soldiers,' Founder and CEO of Habyit Shel Benji Saul Rurka explained.

The house is named after Benji Hillman, cousin of Saul Rurka.

Saul and Benji’s families immigrated to Israel in the 1980's, and both served in the Israeli army. Benji went on to be an officer.

'In July of 2006, he went with his soldiers into war. In fact, it was the first battle of the Second Lebanon War, and he was killed along with four of his soldiers,' Rurka continued.

Saul says Benji was not only an outstanding officer, but had a special place in his heart for lone soldiers, since they did not have proper homes to go to one the weekends.

'Fast-forward almost 13 years and that situation has not been rectified,' Rurka tells i24NEWS.

A home is more than a bed. Habyit Shel Benji makes sure the soldiers who live there are well taken care of. Above all, many of these soldiers really value their privacy and the ability to have their own space.

A female resident of the house, combat soldier Inbal said, 'In the army you live in a room with six to eight girls — you know, pulling each other's hair. You want to kill them at the end of the week. You know girls.'

'I come here and I have no chores to do... The main thing is just to enjoy my time,' she continued.

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