Foundation honors memory of lone soldier

By Shira Kramer -July 29, 2021

It was always Josh Rosen’s dream to join the Israel Defense Forces. He graduated Towson University one semester early then joined the IDF in Nachal 931, a unit that guards Israel’s borders. After completing his service in the IDF, he went to Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya to receive his master’s degree.

Rosen died on May 8, 2018, while he was a student at IDC. In his memory, Rosen’s family created the Joshua M. Rosen Foundation. The foundation supports lone soldiers who study at IDC, said Nathan Altshuler, Rosen’s friend and current board member of the Joshua M. Rosen Foundation. The foundation chooses one or two lone soldiers every year who want to pursue a master’s degree in counterterrorism and homeland security conflict and diplomacy at IDC.

(Courtesy of the Rosen family)

“Josh really understood that he was lucky to have such amazing educational opportunities in life and that not everyone could have those same opportunities,” said Sharon Rosen, Josh Rosen’s mother. “We know that Josh would be proud of the work the foundation has done and will continue to do to honor his legacy.”

The Joshua M. Rosen Foundation was founded two years ago and has since helped three lone soldiers receive their master’s degrees. The foundation has requested another lone soldier for this coming year from IDC.

“They’ve made aliyah, served meaningfully in the IDF, received their undergraduate degree and this master’s is the last step to establishing their career,” Sharon Rosen said.

In the future, the Rosens hope to expand the foundation and provide scholarships for lone soldiers’ undergraduate degrees as well.

“We hope to grow the foundation and be in a position to offer undergraduate and graduate degrees to fulfill the needs of these deserving lone soldiers,” Sharon Rosen said.

The Rosen family is honored to be able to offer lone soldiers support through the foundation, she said.

Altshuler said that Josh Rosen was happy in Israel. Even though Rosen and Altshuler grew up in Baltimore, they met in Israel. At the time, Altshuler was doing security for the train station as part of his own IDF service, and Rosen saw him twice a day as he commuted to school.

“When Josh got out of the train, he already had a huge smile on his face,” Altshuler said. “I worked security by the train station for a long time and most people who get out of trains early in the morning look very tired and not as energetic. Seeing Josh always lit up my day.”

The lone soldier community is a small one and everyone knows each other, Altshuler said. In Israel, Josh Rosen’s close friend Myron Schneider is grateful for Josh Rosen’s companion- ship. He met Josh Rosen at an ulpan before the army and was lucky enough to draft into the army with him as well.

“We did everything together,” Schneider said. “I was so lucky to already have a friend like Josh before entering into the army.”

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AFIDC July Newsletter

July 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friends, Supporters, Alumni, and Parents, I hope this e-mail finds you all well and you are enjoying the summer. I am thrilled to share with you some happenings at IDC. Please browse through our July Newsletter and enjoy the articles, updates, and take note of our upcoming virtual information sessions. Best regards,

Leslie Skyba Executive Director American Friends of IDC

To read more click here

AFIDC Newsletter June 2021

Dear Friends, Supporters, Alumni, and Parents,

Please enjoy our June newsletter. Every month we are challenged to choose which great articles and announcements we will share. Our IDC Alumni are making waves all over the world with their successful businesses, raising hundreds of millions of dollars in funding and even going public on the NYSE.

Our IDC Professors are providing cutting-edge programs for their students in all of our schools. They are publishing articles and working on innovative projects that are receiving major attention. The Raphael Recanati International School team delivers social and cultural activities for the students daily. IDC Herzliya announced that we have welcomed our first student from the UAE and they honored a student studying with us by raising the South Korean flag to join our other flags flying on campus. This is how we commemorate the students we have with us from all over the world.

We were saddened to hear the news of the passing of Dina Recanati. The Recanati family has been a pillar of IDC since the beginning and were our partners in establishing the Raphael Recanati International School and the student dorms. Dina was not only a committed philanthropist, she was a talented artist. She will be missed by so many.

This week we had over 60 IDC alumni on a rooftop overlooking all of Manhattan for a happy hour, see more pictures here. The love that these alumni have for their experience at IDC continues well after they graduate IDC and it is heartwarming to meet such an amazing group of people, that have maintained their friendships even after leaving school. AFIDC strives to provide events, content, and networking to our thousand of Alumni living in the States. Whether the United States is a brief stopping point in their life or their permanent home, we want to ensure that we maintain a strong connection to this network. They are the leaders of ensuring IDC Herzliya continues to be a prestigious, first-class institution of learning.

The academic year has come to a close and students are finishing up their exams. I would like to wish everyone an enjoyable summer. Please remember, the IDC campus is now accepting visitors! We invite you to come take a campus tour of the beautiful IDC Campus. If you happen to be in Israel in July, please join us and RSVP here! We have lots more big news coming your way all summer, stay tuned!

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Father's Day!

Leslie Skyba Executive Director American Friends of IDC

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