As a lone soldier at the Israel Defense Forces, Ariadne had not seen her family in Paraguay for two and a half years because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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But several weeks ago, she finally made it home to reunite with her family members in a surprise homecoming that was captured in a touching video clip by one of the family members who was in on the "plot."
Video: FIDF
Some 90 lone soldiers were flown home in recent weeks on special flights funded by the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, a non-profit organization so that they could celebrate the high holidays with their families.
"One thing that never gets old is seeing a lone soldier reunited with his or her parents," head of welfare projects at Yahad ─ United for Israel's Soldiers Etty Abergil said.
She explained that for the past decade, every single lone soldier at the IDF has been given an opportunity to fly home during his or her service with the help of her organization and the FIDF, "to recharge, spend time with family and continue service in Israel, and hopefully, continue living here."
After having to cut down on most flights in 2020 due to the coronavirus, Yahad hopes to fly some 1,000 lone soldiers to their countries of origin this year.
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