February is a big month for The Michael Levin Base, known as The Base. This month, The Base will celebrate its third anniversary. February 17 is Michael Levin’s z”l birthday and the date The Base’s new location in Jerusalem will officially open. The facility outgrew its current home and needed a larger space to keep up with its growing family.
“The Michael Levin Base is excited to announce that we have moved to a larger facility in the Machane Yehuda Market area,” said Lizzie Noach, co-director of The Base. “The amount of lone soldiers and lone b’not sherut using our services has grown dramatically, and we needed a larger space to be able to accommodate them all. We look forward to welcoming many more to our Shabbat meals and weekly programming.”
The new home of The Base, 4 Eliyahu Mani Street, just around the corner from its current location in the center of town, is in the shuk area where so many lone soldiers and lone b’not sherut live and frequent. The new home will have more than 210 square meters of space as well as a small area outside where finally, a barbecue can be held. The main room will be double the size of the current one and therefore able to host double the amount of lone soldiers and lone b’not sherut for events and especially Friday night meals.
Michael Levin immigrated from Philadelphia to Israel in 2002 and voluntarily chose to draft into the IDF Paratroopers Unit. During his annual home visit, the Second Lebanon War broke out and he decided to return and fight alongside his unit. Levin fell in battle in 2006. During his service, Levin came across many hardships that lone soldiers face. Before his passing, he always spoke about his dream to provide support for lone soldiers that he lacked while in the army.
The Base’s stated mission is “to not only support lone soldiers, but also lone b’not sherut (young women carrying out national service ‘Sherut Leumi’) from both Israel and abroad. We aim to provide practical and emotional support for these young adults as well as assistance to their families throughout the world.”
On February 17 at 10 a.m., The Michael Levin Base will be having an official opening of its new space. The public will be invited to the official mezuzah hanging ceremony. The deputy mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan Nahoum, will attend the opening and make remarks.
“In the three years that we have been open, over 1,800 lone soldiers and lone b’not sherut have walked through our doors,” said Bonnie Rosenbaum, co-director of The Base. “With our new home, we can only anticipate this number to grow exponentially.”
Additionally, with the opening of the Michael Levin Base’s new home, there are dedication opportunities available to those who wish to help create a home away from home for these deserving young men and women. If you are interested in making a dedication to The Base in memory or in honor of someone, and for more information, contact
[email protected]
Donation link: https://causematch.com/thebase-donate
Susan R. Eisenstein is a longtime Jewish educator, passionate about creating special, innovative activities for her students. She is also passionate about writing about Jewish topics and about Israel. She has two master’s degrees and a doctorate in education from Columbia University.
