Lev Lechayalot began with gift packages and now includes personal letters as well as events and gatherings that inspire female soldiers and demonstrate solidarity.
By Shula Rosen
Female soldiers have shown impressive service, particularly during the current war in Gaza and as air force pilots during Operation Rising Lion against Iran.
To show appreciation and provide support for these soldiers, Lev Lechayalot was founded by Rabbi Shalom and Rebbetzin Lynne Myers, South African immigrants who lead the Emek Learning Center community in Jerusalem.
The idea began after the couple’s sons were called to duty when the war started on October 7.
Soon after, they hosted a barbecue for a unit in central Israel. Lynne observed that the men welcomed the camaraderie, while female soldiers lingered at the edges. She embraced them and saw their welcome responses.
From that moment, she resolved to focus on young women serving in the IDF and Border Police, many of them lone soldiers far from home.
Lev Lechayalot began with gift packages: mascara sent from the UK, biltong from South Africa, and hand-knitted hats from Australia. Women across Israel and the Diaspora contributed personal items and notes. “The part of the packages that all the soldiers seem to love most,” Myers told The Jerusalem Report, “are the love letters that tell them someone is thinking of them, praying for their safety.”
The initiative expanded to festive events on bases, from sushi nights to Hafrashat Challah ceremonies led by Rabbanit Keren Dadon.
At one such gathering in Beersheba, volunteers joined Border Policewomen in song, prayer, and dance. Commander Shifra Buchris, who had risked her life rescuing festivalgoers under fire on October 7, told her soldiers: “Now is your time to defend Am Yisrael, but I bless you to one day build families and future generations.”
The celebrations turned to sorrow after an October 2024 terrorist attack at the Beersheba Central Bus Station killed Border Police officer Shira Chaya Soslik and injured four of her comrades.
Volunteers visited the mourning family and the wounded soldiers, who expressed gratitude simply to be alive.
Through every stage—raising funds, delivering gifts, visiting bases—Lynne Myers and Lev Lechayalot show that Jewish women worldwide can unite to honor Israel’s defenders, one heartfelt gesture at a time.
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