Bayit Brigade is a charitable nonprofit based in Chicago, Illinois and Tel Aviv, Israel. It is a fundraising group that provides housing and other needs for Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers who do not have the support of a family or home in Israel.¹

In 2025, left-of-center media outlet The Intercept published an op-ed criticizing a pro-Israel, pro-IDF nonprofit coalition in the United States, which included Bayit Brigade. The piece accused the group and similar organizations of recruiting American teens to aid in “genocide in Gaza.”²

Activities

Bayit Brigade helps active “lone soldiers,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel without support of a family or home within Israel, and IDF veterans find affordable housing in Israel. The group operates a flagship building in Tel Aviv that has over 50 beds, and it hosts soldiers in nine apartments across Israel. It has donated over 2,500 pieces of furniture to soldiers in need and operates a Room Finder database that connects soldiers to apartments and roommates.¹

Bayit Brigade also helps cover transportation expenses to help soldiers travel to and from bases. The group provides lone soldiers with groceries, basic home necessities, rent relief, hygiene products, and helps cover medical bills.³

Bayit Brigade maintains a Guarantor Fund which enables the organization to co-sign apartments for soldiers who need financial backing fora lease. It also has a hosting network of Israeli citizens who rent their apartments to lone soldiers through Bayit Brigade at a reduced rate.¹

Partners and Sponsors

Bayit Brigade has several partners and sponsors that as of 2025 were contributing to its work, including the Daniella Moffson Foundation, Growing Wings, Real Capital, the HESEG Foundation, and Daon Group Real Estate, a Tel Aviv-based realty group founded by Barak Doan, a Bayit Brigade board member.^{1 4}

Criticism

In July 2025, left-of-center media outlet The Intercept published an op-ed accusing Bayit Brigade of being part of a nonprofit coalition that supports and recruits “American teens to provide reinforcements to the Israeli military during its ongoing genocide in Gaza.” The piece further criticized Bayit Brigade for posting videos of volunteers providing resources to the Israeli military’s Yahalom Unit, which conducts “tunnel warfare” and demolitions in Gaza, including destroying areas to allow the military to operate.^{2 5  6}

While many lone soldier organizations maintain direct ties to the Israel Defense Forces or other Israeli government agencies, Bayit Brigade told The Intercept that although following the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 it “temporarily expanded its community support efforts to address urgent needs on the ground,” it has “no formal relationship with any government entity or with the IDF.”²

Leadership

Aaron Lyon and Yohan Liben are the founders and as of 2025 were directors of Bayit Brigade. An American citizen from Boston, Liben moved to Israel to live and serve in the Israel Defense Forces. After experiencing the challenges facing lone soldiers who do not have the support of a family or home in Israel firsthand, he and Lyon founded Biyat Brigade.⁷

Barak Daon is a realtor and real estate investor in Israel who sits on the board of Biyat Brigade.⁴

According to tax information from its most recent tax return, Aaron Lyon is president of Biyat Brigade, Yohan Liben is CFO, and Barak Doan is the director.⁸

Financials

In 2022, Bayit Brigade received $159,853 in total revenue and reported $130,823 in total expenses and $136,769 in total assets. In 2021, Bayit Brigade reported $191,024 in total revenue, $105,955 in total expenses, and $85,069 in total assets.⁹

In 2023, following the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, Bayit Brigade experienced a surge in support. In 2023, it reported $1,312,772 in total revenue, $1,056,581 in total expenses, and $394,322 in total assets. That same year, the group received $166,523 in government grants (nearly 13 percent of its total revenue).⁸

1. “Home.” Bayit Brigade. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.bayitbrigade.org/
2. Gee, Georgia and Lacy, Akela. “U.S. Nonprofits Funnel Millions to Israeli Army Volunteers.” The Intercept. July 19, 2025. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://theintercept.com/2025/07/19/lone-soldiers-israel-gaza-idf/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=The%20Intercept%20Newsletter
3. “Emergency Support Fund for Lone Soldiers – Operation Iron Swords.” Jewcer. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.jewcer.org/project/lonesoldiersupport/
4. “Barak Daon Profile.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/barakdaon/?originalSubdomain=il
5. “Bayit Brigade post.” Instagram. November 14, 2023. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.instagram.com/p/Czoc8YbNsKS/
6. “IDF’s Yahalom Unit dismantles Hamas underground weapons facility in Gaza.” Jerusalem Post. January 4, 2025. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-836077
7. “Origin Story.” Issuu. 2023-2024. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://issuu.com/ssdsboston/docs/schechterstories_fallwinter2023_24/s/44654804
8. “Bayit Brigade – 2023 Federal Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/834215005/202421509349301007/full
9. “Bayit Brigade.” ProPublica. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/834215005