When well intentioned friends and family ask Leah Glassman "when are you coming home?"  Her answer is always "I am home." It is a natural response for a young woman who knew since age 11 that her heart and soul belonged in Israel. Leah left for Israel at age 18 with a purpose and a vision - perhaps no different than her Zionist's ancestors of 100 years ago.

The transition was not an easy one; the path was not always straight. There was the challenge of being away from family and friends, learning a new language, dealing with the bureaucracy of Israel, getting a driver's license, setting up a checking account, figuring out how to get health care, etc, etc, etc. Finally, the biggest step of all, joining the army as a Chayelet Bodedet or Lone Soldier (a soldier with no family in Israel). 

Her parents tried to convince her that she really didn't need to join the army, that the Israeli army had plenty of youngsters and that they probably didn't need Leah Glassman. Her response never wavered - if she was going to live in Israel and be part of the fabric of society then she was going to do her duty. The first few months were very difficult. There were frequent calls home - occasionally with tears flowing on both ends.  We wondered whether she had made the right decision.

As time passed, she persevered and adjusted to army life. Her dedication and devotion paid off. In May of 2008 at Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day) Leah was awarded the Presidential Award for Outstanding Soldier (Mitztayenet Hanassi) given to the top  120 soldiers in the entire Israeli army. At the ceremony President Shimon Peres said "no other country has been attacked so often in a span of 60 years. The secret of Israel's triumph and survival was the outstanding quality of Israel's fighting forces. There were outstanding soldiers then, and there are outstanding soldiers now."

Leah - we are very proud of you and all the Cincinnatians serving in the IDF- young people who still have a sense of mission.

Love,
Mom and Dad