The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), besides being on the cutting edge of military technology, and the arena of countless miracles and Divine intervention, is a melting pot of Israeli society, and army service (or non-service) is a milestone that carries ramifications for years to come in terms of future employment and social status. The IDF does its best to accommodate everyone’s religious, linguistic and ethnic needs and offers many programs so that everyone serves in a way that’s best for him (or her) and best for the country. But sometimes it can’t. Although there are people who try to avoid the draft, there are many more people who will not easily give up on the honor of contributing to the defense of Eretz Yisrael.
Ariel, 23, was born in Montreal and made aliyah to Ra’anana with his family when he was 4. He signed up for Hesder – a five-year army stint divided into a 1¼ year studying in yeshivah, 1¼ year army service and then another two years learning in yeshivah. Since he had a low profile due to a weak immune system, he was conscripted to serve as a counselor in Ohr Etzion in Mercaz Shapira, one of two religious high schools for kids intending to sign up for an army career. During his army service, he had stomach pains which brought a diagnosis of Celiac disease. Ariel was given a full exemption but decided to re-enlist as a volunteer.
“I enjoyed the position I was doing very much. I felt it suited me and felt that I was doing it well.” Ironically, once you re-enlist as a volunteer you have to commit to at least 18 months which is a longer period of time than if Ariel had remained as a Hesdernik. And there’s no way back once you commit. But he was already married with a child and the family lived in the yishuv close to the school so it was convenient.
For several years the army had tried to accommodate the needs of soldiers with Celiac but found they weren’t able to. Since the school where Ariel served was small as was the yeshivah in Petach Tikvah where he subsequently learned and he knew the cooks, he could ask them what was in each dish and they would sometimes make something special for him or adjust the recipe. However, in many units, the cooks cook for hundreds of soldiers at a time and they can’t accommodate special diets.
So Ariel’s army stint wasn’t much different as a volunteer than as a regular soldier except that it was longer. Ariel likes working with teenagers and although the school’s food didn’t always agree with him, his role as a counselor, mentoring the army’s future soldiers and top brass definitely did.
Hilleli, 21, was born with Vacter association (a non-random association of birth defects). Among them is a hunchbacked spine and the inability to eat food orally. Hilleli has spent most of his life in foster care with a warm and loving family whose attitude towards him has always been, “Yes, you can!” Hilleli was exempt from army service because of his condition but he didn’t that – he wanted to serve. “Everyone is always helping me,” he said. “Now I want to help.” After high school, Hilelli completed a year of national service helping children with special needs and learning once a week in Yeshivat Karnei Shomron.
It was then that he began his war against the bureaucracy keeping him from serving in the IDF. He even appeared on a morning television program – Olam Haboker – to talk about his desire to serve. He was helped in his quest by Rav Shay Piron, the current Minister of Education as well as Hilleli’s former Rosh Yeshivah who put in a good word for him. Eventually, with the support of his family, he secured his sought after army position.
Hilleli intends to serve for three years in the Israel Air Force as the person in charge of its infirmary at Tel-Hashomer Hospital. His job is helping the male nurses; he likes it a lot and envisions a future in health care.
“I’m a child of the hospital so I understand,” he says good-humoredly. Hilleli has spent a great deal of time in the hospital undergoing operations and treatments for the various conditions brought on by his birth defects. But he has been a brave soldier since he was very little boy. He has a positive attitude, a sense of responsibility, a willingness to help and tremendous gratitude for all the good in his life despite (or maybe because of) his physical challenges. Can the army want for anything else in its troops?
While the first two young men I interviewed are religious, Shai, 19, is secular. Having graduated from the gifted students’ class at his high school, he got a psychological exemption from the army. He is doing a year of Shnat Sherut (national service) in HaNoar HaOved VeHalomed youth movement, known as “HaBonim Dror” abroad. Shai hopes to get a spot as a volunteer working in Army Radio – Galei Tzahal when he’s done. Interestingly enough, army service was at the forefront of Shay’s high school experience. He majored in computers and Arabic hoping it would help him get a job in the army.
All three are children of Olim who have obviously inherited some of their parents’ pioneering nationalistic spirit. And not serving their country wasn’t an option for them And that’s the kind of fighting spirit the Israel Defense Forces, and the country its soldiers nobly defend, can certainly benefit from.