Origin Story

An Interview with Yonah Liben ’02 and Aaron Lyon ’02

In 2018, almost 25 years after they met in Kindergarten, Yonah Liben and Aaron Lyon founded a groundbreaking and growing nonprofit organization, Bayit Brigade. The organization is as much about the story of their lifelong friendship as it is about their enterprising and resolute efforts to support Lone Soldiers, new immigrants to Israel who are without family there, as Yonah himself once was.

The friends describe a profound connection with each other, with their Schechter friends and with Israel. These various relationships form inseparable concentric circles that begin at the beginning, and that now span both decades and distance. Yonah and Aaron tell of how thrilling and formative it felt to go on their imaginary trip to Israel in Kindergarten, replete with pretending to board an El Al plane, presenting handmade passports and eating falafel upon “landing,” to the reality of having their Grade 8 Israel Study Tour canceled because of the Second Intifada, and diverted to a Civil Rights journey of the American South, still powerful in its own right.

After finishing Schechter, Yonah and Aaron’s core group of friends stuck together even as they went their own ways. Yonah and Aaron graduated from Maimonides and Newton North High School, respectively, then each turned to Israel for a gap year, where they continued to get together. Then both returned stateside for college, Yonah for Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, and Aaron for the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. “We have all truly stayed in touch,” they add. “A bunch of us are always hanging out or at least talking to each other, some on a daily basis.” So, when Yonah made aliyah in 2011, this very special brotherhood underwent the journey with him.

“We really experienced everything through Yonah,” Aaron recalls. “I remember hearing about his struggles as a new immigrant, being in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), problems with housing, where to go on the weekends without family in Israel, but that is Yonah’s story to tell.” From the empathy Aaron felt for his friend, however, and his desire to problem solve, came a vision, then the joint effort that led to Bayit Brigade which champions scores of Lone Soldiers without a home base.

“i attribute my zionist roots to a plethora of things,” says Yonah. “I grew up at Temple Israel of Natick where my father, Rabbi Daniel Liben, was the rabbi for 30 years. On Shabbat, my father would read the names of those who had been killed in yoNah libeN a aRoN lyoN

I bootstrapped, raised the money to go, and spent the year fending for myself, basically a trial run: did I want to make a real life out of living in Israel or to continue visiting and supporting from afar? I made aliyah four years later.

I created a flyer and marketed the fully furnished apartment on Facebook and we got a huge response. I interviewed soldiers over WhatsApp and within days the apartment was rented. Based on the reception, I knew we had something. Wow.

Israel during the Second Intifada. Between my older brother, Noah ‘96, and his stories of anti-Zionist activity at Columbia/JTS where he was a student, to reading the news and hearing stories about the War on Terror, I knew I had to learn more for myself.” Yonah went to Israel in 10th grade with Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim, then again in 11th and 12th grades as part of the leadership track with United Synagogue Youth (USY), all of which led to his gap year. “I bootstrapped, raised the money to go, and spent the year fending for myself, basically a trial run: did I want to make a real life out of living in Israel or to continue visiting and supporting from afar? I made aliyah four years later.”

Yonah enlisted, serving an intense and meaningful two and a half years as a combat soldier in the Nahal Brigade, an airborne infantry reconnaissance division. He spent off-duty weekends in a room “in the middle of nowhere,” decompressing and processing his experiences with people who had also made aliyah and were at a similar place in their lives. “They were my original support network. It was during that time when I started a WhatsApp group among my Schechter friends so that I could share with them what was going on, and what it was really like,” Yonah recalls.

After Yonah was discharged, he was faced with finding housing, ideally amidst the bustle of Tel Aviv, but he could not afford anything. Electrical and other municipal bills are waived for soldiers on top of tax breaks and a small stipend for living expenses. “About a month or two after you finish active duty, the support ends,” he explains. “There was a three-day workshop during which we learned about places we could go for help or a scholarship, career planning or advice. Average Israelis go home and sleep at their parents’ house for a few years while they figure things out or live at home during studies, but immigrants typically do not have that option. I ended up living on a friend’s closed-in porch for a year. I had to scrape tooth and nail to build myself up, little by little, after being released from the army.”

Ultimately, Yonah opted for a Master’s Degree at Tel Aviv University in Diplomacy and Security Studies, a decision based on his desire to round out his undergraduate degree in Middle Eastern Studies, to elevate his reading and writing in Hebrew, and to avail himself of student housing. During graduate school, Yonah was drawn back to the Lone Soldier experience, joining the team at Garin Tzabar, a nonprofit organization that provides comprehensive services to young Jewish adults who make aliyah and serve in the IDF as Lone Soldiers. The program seeks to envelop these new immigrants within an

Israeli community that becomes their home away from home during and following their military tenure.

Yonah’s lived reality moved Aaron. “I think about Yonah, and how he struggled and managed all on his own, but you shouldn't have to do it on your own. You just spent two or three years fighting for Israel and making that sacrifice. You should have a place to live when you get out of the army.” Aaron recounts a pivotal inspiration a few years after Yonah finished his army service. “My wife has a family apartment in the heart of Tel Aviv. It came up for lease and they were wondering if they should keep it, rent it or move on.”

What if, Aaron thought, we rented the apartment to Lone Soldiers at a discounted rate? “I spoke with the owner and asked how we could make something like this happen from the baseline rent money she would need as a landlord to furnishings, provisions and a washer and dryer so soldiers could be refreshed for when they get back to base after a weekend. We sort of scrapped it together and launched this apartment. I created a flyer and marketed the fully furnished apartment on Facebook and we got a huge response. I interviewed soldiers over WhatsApp and within days the apartment was rented. Based on the reception, I knew we had something. Wow.”

At Bayit Brigade’s inception, Aaron and Yonah operated with the single, initial apartment, a pilot of sorts with which to test the concept practically and philosophically. “We said to ourselves that there must be other people out there who live abroad, own an apartment in Israel and want to find a new way to be philanthropic. Renting your apartment to a Lone Soldier is something highly personal and a unique way to give back.”

By day, Aaron lives in Newton and has been at American Express for seven years. He currently works as Chief of Staff for the Global Real Estate Team which manages 100 offices around the world. His team facilitates building and renovating new offices, overseeing amenities like food, fitness, wellness and corporate events. It is perhaps no coincidence that a focus area for Aaron, so attuned to his friend’s day-to-day life, would be working professionally to create spaces and environments where people can thrive. Aaron and his sister, Esther Eisenhard, also founded a recruitment company, CampHire, that helps summer camps find counselors, nurses and chefs each summer in addition to leading executive recruitment for year-round leadership positions such as directors and program managers.

Yonah serves as the Chief Impact Officer at TAMID Group, a nonprofit that helps young adults come to Israel and have immersive educational experiences within the Israeli ecosystem via exposure and involvement in high tech and business. Except for a brief stint in the world of venture capital, Yonah has been at TAMID for over seven years— even briefly working alongside one of their core friends, David Micley ‘02—assessing the impact of the organization’s programming and strategy vis-à-vis its mission and goals.

Alongside raising families of their own, the duo’s volunteer work to establish and expand Bayit Brigade has been another full time job. Five years in, Bayit Brigade has grown from Aaron’s initial DIY brainstorm to an organization with staff on the ground, nine apartments, 31 beds and multiple services for Lone Soldiers, specifically around housing. Bayit Brigade’s size may be only temporary as Yonah and Aaron network aggressively through their two Newton-based board members, their own Boston roots and in Israel. “The Ministry of Defense knows about us at a very high level. They have come to us with specific soldiers for whom they are not able to care, extreme situations, emergencies and homelessness. We are able to vet each situation and application personally. There have been times we have found people beds in a matter of hours.”

The challenges of being able to welcome only a few applicants into a Bayit Brigade residence has helped shape the selection criteria. In addition to passing an evaluation and interview process and supplying references, soldiers ideally remain involved as mentors. “It’s not a requirement, but it’s a cycle that is already percolating organically and will eventually be formalized,” says Aaron. Veterans can stay for up to two years. “When we see a hybrid mix of soldiers come together, some who are still active living with a veteran who might have been released a year ago and is working from home and studying, we believe that's a difference in helping them stay in Israel, which is very rewarding.”

In the face of a daunting 300 applications a year, the pair has broadened their approach in order to respond to soldiers’ needs. “We think about the Lone Soldier ecosystem as a puzzle,” they say, “with housing as one of the centerpieces. Even if you solve housing, there are many other components that go into acclimating a newly released soldier to civilian life which really begins in the six so we launched a scholarship fund. We’ve been able to help another 100 soldiers this way. Other soldiers tell us that they have an apartment, but they are on base and need help with the logistics of the move or buying furnishings, so we have a whole donation stream of furniture coming into our storage unit, and a partner with a truck driver who makes deliveries.”

Yet another hurdle is the Israeli requirement for renters to have a guarantor, a person who must be locally present, solvent and willing to put themselves on the line. Aaron and

Successes aside, Aaron and Yonah contemplate next steps, feasibility and exposure for their work. “I like to joke with everyone that there are lots of people providing Shabbat meals in Israel, and it's fabulous, but there are very few people tackling the real estate problem for soldiers. It’s hard, so people stay away from it,” Yonah observes. Aaron adds, “That's a really cool challenge which has allowed us to beta test a lot of different types of services.”

As Bayit Brigade expands, it’s clear the boyhood friends have zeroed in on a crack yoNah libeN months before release, and then up to two years afterwards. It’s a critical junction point for building a successful life here in Israel.” there is no soft landing, and while Yonah believes there have been improvements in the past decade, there is still a critical need in this niche community. “We serve both Lone Soldiers from the Diaspora and also Israelis who are alone because they come from broken homes or tragic situations. It has always been our philosophy and vision,” he continues, “for these apartments to be in city centers, mainly around Tel Aviv, because it’s the lifeline to finding a job, going to school and meeting a partner, but soldiers can’t afford living there under normal circumstances.” Yonah and Aaron have also partnered with landlords in Israel who are willing to offer markedly discounted rent.

Soldiers have come to us saying that they found an apartment, but cannot afford it or they are 300 shekels short, so we launched a scholarship fund. We’ve been able to help another 100 soldiers this way. Other soldiers tell us that they have an apartment, but they are on base and need help with the logistics of the move or buying furnishings, so we have a whole donation stream of furniture coming into our storage unit, and a partner with a truck who makes deliveries.

Hearing directly from soldiers is key to deploying support that is targeted and game-changing. “Soldiers have come to us saying that they found an apartment, but cannot afford it or they are 300 shekels short,

Yonah created a guarantor fund that has enabled the nonprofit to act as a guarantor for Lone Soldiers who need financial backing. There are now 20 Lone Soldiers who have apartments because Bayit Brigade was able to co-sign as a guarantor on the lease.

Spearheading a young, independent organization means that Aaron and Yonah benefit from alacrity and flexibility in decision-making. “We are very proud of the fact that we do it all ourselves, so we are able to do what we want, when we want, but we don’t have any big grants from major organizations. We're exploring a few avenues such as growing our scholarship fund so we can reach more soldiers. We are also considering a centrally located, large-scale building that can house about a 100 soldiers instead of having apartments distributed around the country. We have a lead that might come to fruition next year for which we have raised a quarter of the funds. In a humble and egoless way, we are going to institutional donors who can anchor a project of this magnitude.” in the system for many Lone Soldiers and new immigrants, namely the acute gap in transitioning from military service, with all its safety nets and provisions, dependable structure and camaraderie, to the initial freefall of living independently and successfully in Israel as a civilian. The housing and financial subsidies provided by Bayit Brigade are a consequential fulcrum for these newly minted IDF veterans who, far from home, are striving to make Israel their home. As Yonah was buoyed so long ago by the emotional support of his Schechter WhatsApp group, the Bayit Brigade community also offers much-needed understanding in conjunction with local mentorship and guidance.

“We love what we’re doing, but we still fact check ourselves every six months to make sure the organization is not stultified. Is this still relevant? Are we devoting the right energies to this? Can we build and move forward? Are we ready? These are healthy questions for us and, yeah, we love it.” This is a story with many origins, but fortunately, no ending.

Bayit Brigade’s Response to the War

Bayit Brigade has shifted into high gear to fulfill requests from soldiers on the frontlines and provide them with essential supplies and support for the long road ahead. They are also arranging housing support and humanitarian aid to the Israeli citizens who were victims of terror.

The organization’s relief efforts have included:

• bulk purchases of hydration packs, portable phone charging packs, GoPros, headlamps, flashlights, thermal clothing and hygiene products for soldiers

• providing over 250 displaced Israeli citizens from Southern Israel with temporary housing, many of whom have lost loved ones, their possessions and their shelter

• funding for volunteer grassroots efforts across Israel to match families with available apartments throughout the country

• covering moving costs and procuring furniture for open apartments

• giving grants to local Israeli nonprofits that are providing urgent care for victims of terror and their families who come from over 20 villages in Southern Israel

• sponsoring BBQs at army bases for 250+ soldiers to boost morale

• supplying basic needs for Israelis who have lost loved ones

• praying for the release of friends and family held hostage and who have been injured themselves

• clothing, food, toiletries, baby toys, car seats and diapers, and disposable items for over 140 families

How can you help?

Bayit Brigade sees Boston as its twin city, and is always looking for ways to collaborate with the Bostonian and the Schechter communities in myriad ways, now more than ever.

• make a donation or raise funds to sponsor a new apartment

• become an apartment host in Israel by renting your property to Lone Soldiers through Bayit Brigade

• make a connection to someone in your network (donor, apartment owners, nonprofit leader or likeminded Zionists) lyon@bayitbrigade.org or liben@bayitbrigade.org www.bayitbrigade.org

Please contact Bayit Brigade if you'd like to explore something together.