The Making of an Israeli Soldier:
What Israeli Teens Go Through Before and During their Service in the Israeli Army
by Israel HighWay Staff

Israeli teens actually begin their induction into the Israel Defense Forces while they're still in high school. When they're about 17 they get their first letter with the distinctive triangle postmark from the army. "We know you're out there," is the basic message, and it's a call for young men and women to start getting in shape. As students finish their high school finals, they've already been down to the army recruitment office to verify personal facts and take aptitude tests.

Many high school graduates already have to get ready for the August induction. A couple of months before that, some of the elite units invite candidates for their gibush, several field days of exercise and physical endurance so that the unit can see if the recruit has "what it takes." Students who want to become pilots begin a long series of aptitude and psychological testing.

At this stage, prior to induction day, teens can make decisions on several paths before them. The brightest math, science and computer stars can apply for a special IDF academic program in which students go to university and then to the IDF. They're slated for some of the most hush-hush, hi-tech laboratories and engineering units. In return for the tuition, the new soldiers sign up for several years additional service. Many of the soldier-scientists stay on to build a career in the army.

Issue of the Week is continued below

From Caribbean to IDF - Anat Lev by Israel Moskovitz

Thousands of Israelis dream of a holiday in the Caribbean, but a teenager from the Dominican Republic decided to go the opposite route and leave the exotic islands and her family behind, in order to come to Israel and join the IDF.

Anat Lev, 19, already completed her basic training, and in the coming days will start a combat soldier course in the army's search and rescue unit. "Everyone tells me I'm crazy to have left the Caribbean and come to Israel to join the army. All my friends are at university. But here I learned there is time for everything and I will study later. I feel great to be here," she said. (Ynet News)

Thai Makes IDF History - Bondi Faibon by Yossi Yehoshua

Four months after being granted Israeli citizenship, 19-year-old Bondi Faibon entered the IDF Induction Center at Tel Hashomer, near Tel Aviv. This moment, which is dramatic for any Israeli youngster, is an especially dramatic moment for him, being the first child of foreign workers to join the Israeli army.

Bondi's mother was born in Thailand and came to work in Israel more than 20 years ago. Bondi and his younger sister were born in Israel. When he was seven years old, his father returned to Thailand, and Bondi went to live with a foster family in the community of Kfar Yonah in the Sharon area, where he currently resides.

New Private Bondi preferred to summarize his new status in one short sentence. "I am an Israeli in every sense of the word and I view my enlistment as the most natural thing in the world," he said one day before putting on his IDF uniform. (Ynet News)

Soldier for a Week
An American Teen's Experience in the Mock-Israeli Army by Eva Orbuch

When my fellow "Let's go Israel" trip-mates and I stepped off our bus onto the sandy grounds of the southern Israeli army base, I didn't quite know what I was getting myself into. Before spending my month in Israel, I decided to sign up for these four days of army training, a process that many 16-year-old Israeli teens undergo to give them a taste of what their real army service will be like. Being in the army, whether it is Israeli or American, is not on my top priority list for things to do in life. In fact, it is not on my list at all, and that is exactly why I chose to do Gadna, or Gedudei Noar, so I could get a taste of what I would be missing out on in life, and also a glimpse into what it means to be an Israeli.

Click here for the full story.

Eva Orbuch, 16, attends Marin Academy in San Rafael, CA. (Special to the Israel HighWay)

An Israeli Soldier's 'Magical' Recovery by Aryeh Dean Cohen

The IDF is an innovative evolving fighting force with a human face, willing to try new things. Its latest unusual soldier - the first 'Army Magician' - both helps raise the morale of the troops and has helped the magician himself recover from a tragic accident that almost killed him. While fellow soldiers head off to serve in tanks, planes, or behind the wheels of jeeps, Liran Zeligman packs his menagerie of tricks, costumes, and other show gear and heads on the road to wow the soldiers and prove something to both himself and those he entertains. (Israel21c)

Sirens Wail Across Israel as Country Remembers the Holocaust

Sirens wailed across Israel Tuesday morning as Israelis paused to remember the victims of the Nazi genocide directed against the Jews. As the sirens began at 10 a.m. traffic came to a total standstill as drivers stood next to their cars and pedestrians stopped walking, many of them standing at attention or with their heads bowed.

Holocaust Memorial Day began Monday night with a ceremony at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Center. Six Holocaust survivors lit beacons honoring the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust. The names of the victims were read out at the Knesset and at Yad Vashem's Hall of Remembrance. Memorial day concluded Tuesday evening with ceremonies at Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, named after the leader of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto revolt, and at the Ghetto Fighters Kibbutz, which was founded by survivors of the revolt. (DPA/CJP)

Wounded Teen Wakes after 9-Day Coma

A 16-year-old American tourist, critically wounded in last week's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, woke up on Tuesday for the first time since the explosion. Daniel Wultz, a high school student from Weston, Florida, was in Israel with his parents to visit relatives during Passover. He and his Israeli-born father, Tuly, were lunching near Tel Aviv's central bus station on April 17, when a Palestinian suicide bomber ignited 10 pounds of explosives at the entrance of the restaurant. The bomb killed nine people and wounded dozens.

On Tuesday, Daniel regained consciousness, said Yael Tsubary, spokeswoman for Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital, where the youth is being treated. He is not yet able to speak, she said, but he can communicate with his eyes. Although the teenager's condition is still listed as critical, Tsubary said he is likely to recover.

Prayers and Help for Daniel Wultz

In Plantation on Monday, students at the David Posnack Hebrew Day School High School dedicated their morning prayer service to Wultz. Daniel Wultz has attended Posnack since elementary school.

Family friend Andrew Abraham said the family was encouraging everyone to make a prayer on Daniel's behalf. "What is happening right now is that there are thousands and thousands of people all over the world sending their prayers for Daniel," he said.

Daniel Wultz is a sophomore at the David Posnack Hebrew Day School in Plantation, Florida. At the hospital, Daniel is surrounded by family, and his rabbi was scheduled to arrive in Israel. Additionally, some of his classmates left this week on a scheduled trip to Israel and will be visiting him soon. (AP/Ynet News)

Please encourage your classmates and congregants to pray for Daniel and his family. His Hebrew name is Chaim Naftali Meir Ben Sarah. Chabad of Weston, Florida, has graciously set up the "Daniel Wultz Gemilat Chessed Fund" to raise money for the family. You can access them on the web at www.chabadofweston.com. To send get well wishes to Daniel in Israel, contact Michelle Rapchik-Levin at 954.660.2079 or mrapchiklevin@cajebroward.org.

Israel: New PA Security Official a "Criminal and Murderer"
by Ronny Sofer

Jamal Abu Samhadana, appointed last week as director-general of the Palestinian Interior and National Security Ministry, "is a criminal, a murderer hired by Hamas, who should be jailed by Israel at the first opportunity," said former Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief Avi Dichter. "The Samhadana family is a known criminal family from Rafah," Dichter said. "With the breakout of the intifada on September 2000, they took advantage of the situation to smuggle weapons from Sinai to Rafah and sell them in the Gaza Strip to the highest bidder. Then they also began carrying out terror attacks, while establishing the organization called the Popular Resistance Committees." (Ynet News)

Israeli Robot Builders Win First Prize by Stacey Dresner

Once again the Israelis took home top prizes at the 12th annual Fire Fighting Home Robot Contest at Trinity College in Hartford. Forty Israeli high school seniors competed in the April 9-10 contest, which featured hundreds of participants of all ages and from several countries.

The goal of the contest is to build a robot that can find its way through a maze of four rooms, locate a room with a lighted candle and extinguish the flame.

Israeli teams took home the top four prizes in the High School Entry Division for first time entrants. Kiryat Sharet High School took first place, Ostrovsky High School took home second, Hayovel High School took third, and Shevach-Mofet High School took fourth.

"Building these robots combines the use of mechanical engineering and electronic and computer science. It is very complicated to build a robot which will do all the tasks required in the competition," said Eli Kolberg, robotics teacher and member of the Robotics Steering Committee of the Minister of Education in Israel.

Jeff Rudolph, chair of Friends of Israeli Robotic Student Teams, added that robotics is important to the future of Israel. "Many of these kids will enter the hi-tech work force of Israel after they serve in the army," Rudolph explained. "The experience they take away after being in an international competition is something that cannot be taught in a classroom." (Jewish Ledger)

Ancient Ostrich Eggs Found in Israel by Raanan Ben Zur

Was the Sharon region, just north of Tel Aviv, an African-type savanna with underbrush several million years ago?

The answer is perhaps to be found in tests being conducted on four ancient ostrich eggs discovered last week near Kibbutz Yakum. (Ynet News)

Israeli Embassy Aids Hurricane Victims by Itamar Eichner

Every year in May, Israeli embassies across the world hold celebratory receptions in luxurious venues to mark Israel's Independence Day. However, the Israeli ambassador to El Salvador, Yonatan Peled, decided to mark the event a little differently this year, and instead of spending the money allocated for the holiday on a fancy party, he chose to donate the event's budget to the victims of Hurricane Stan and the earthquake in the country.

The donation, as well as contributions by the local Jewish community, were transferred to the Medinat Yisrael school, which is attended by 1,600 students and located in the town of Nahuizalco in the Sonsonate region, an area that was struck by both the hurricane and earthquake six months ago.

"The order of the day in El Salvador compels us to mark our Independence Day in a different manner, in light of the serious socioeconomic distress in the country, which has worsened in wake of the natural disasters," Peled explained.

The $30,000 donation will be used to fund the renovation of classes and for building a roofed playground at the school. The Jewish community and the small Israeli community of El Salvador have also donated their engineering and architectural skills for the project. The embassy's Independence Day ceremony will appropriately be held at the Medinat Yisrael school, and is set to be attended by the education minister, the governor, the mayor, local parliament members and other honoraries. (Ynet News)

"Shinshin" Volunteers Present a Face for Israel

"Our presence encourages people to visit Israel. They realize when they meet us that one can have fun in Israel, too!" claims Shlomi Yehiav of Afula (pictured), who is a Jewish Agency young emissary in Providence, Rhode Island.

Until the various projects of the Partnership 2000 linking the Afula/Gilboa region with the Southern New England Consortium (SNEC) got under way, Afula was not on the itinerary of American visitors. "By making personal connections in their communities with young Israelis, tourists look forward to visiting the town," says Shlomi, who is known in Hebrew as a shinshin (acronym for "year of service").

Shlomi, 19, opted for a year of national service before his compulsory army service like his other friends from the Scouts. During the six-month training period provided by the Jewish Agency, Shlomi learned topics that were an eye-opener for him. His year of volunteering became an opportunity for him to learn. "Until this year, I had no idea about various streams in Judaism. I became more aware of Judaism and Jewish communities."

Just out of high school, the young emissaries show a different aspect of Israel. "Since we're pre-army, we present Israel as naïve youth. When the Jewish community meets us, we show them a slice of the land of Israel that they're not familiar with," says Shlomi.

While Shlomi's volunteer work involves teaching in a Jewish day school, visiting public schools and college campuses and speaking to the community, the personal interaction with his host family has made an impact on both Shlomi and the family.

As part of the Living Bridges program which bonds the Jewish community with its partnered region in a concrete way, Shlomi and students in the Jewish day school prepared care packages and letters for soldiers. During his recent visit in Israel, Shlomi gave the packages to soldiers at the Center for Soldiers in Afula. In addition, each class wrote letters or collected toys for children hospitalized in Afula's Emek Hospital. (Jewish Agency)

Bereaved Israelis and Palestinians Advocate Peace in Festival Film by Michael Fox

At this late date, it seems unlikely that a documentary can alter most people's deeply held attitudes regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, whatever they may be. Then along comes "Encounter Point," a portrait so unexpected and wrenching that it cuts right through the viewer's armor of certainty and prejudice.

The film follows half a dozen Israelis and Palestinians whose child or sibling was killed by someone on the other side - a suicide bomber, sniper or soldier - and who have chosen to campaign for nonviolence and peace instead of revenge.

Be assured that "Encounter Point" is not another prissy feel-good movie about how we're all brothers under the skin and coexistence is natural and inevitable. Filmmakers Ronit Avni (pictured right) and Julia Bacha (left) spent 18 months shooting in Israel and the territories and they're crystal clear that, in the current climate, advocates of dialogue and restraint provoke more incredulity than serious discussion.

"Encounter Point" is one of two Israeli-themed documentaries screening in the San Francisco International Film Festival. Co-director Ronit Avni, whose mother lives in Oakland, will be present for the screenings.

The primary Israeli we get to know is Robi Damelin, a tall South African with cropped hair whose son was shot to death by a sniper while he guarded a settlement. Damelin's pain is palpable, which only makes her more resolute that other parents not have to endure suffering.

Ali Abu Awaad has an even tougher road advocating nonviolence to frustrated young Palestinians. His brother was killed by a soldier, and he was shot in the legs by a settler and spent four years in an Israeli prison - all of which give him status among his people and plenty of listeners if he chose to spout hatred. Instead, he espouses the beliefs and strategies of Gandhi and Mandela, arguing that violence has not and will never lead to a Palestinian state. He reaches people one at a time, or in small groups. (Jewish News Weekly)

A Higher Grade: Hand-in-Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Jerusalem by Peggy Cidor

"There is a particular day that we have to struggle through every year", Josy Mendelssohn, co-chair of "Hand in Hand," explained to the assembled guests. Explaining the philosophy and workings of the Hand-in-Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Jerusalem to the representatives of the Rayne Foundation and other dignitaries, Mendelssohn was referring to Israeli Independence Day.

"It is perceived in a totally different manner by the Arab population of Israel. The Arabs call it Nakba, meaning catastrophe. For the Jews, it is the major event in the modern history of Israel. We face the issue each and every year - and we do not try to run away from it, though it is not easy," she said.

The delegation from the Rayne Foundation had come from Britain to participate in the ceremony marking the laying of the cornerstone for the new campus of the Max Rayne School, popularly known as Jerusalem's bilingual school, to be located at the junction of the Pat and Beit Safafa neighborhoods.

The Hand in Hand Center includes both Arab and Jewish students, and extends from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The school is jointly administered by two principals, one Jewish and one Arab, and all classes are taught by both a Jewish and an Arab teacher.

The Hand-in-Hand Association also operates two additional bilingual schools. (Jerusalem Post/OpEd News)

Israelis Help Rehabilitate Iran's Quake-Hit Areas

While Tehran repeatedly threatens to destroy Israel, the Islamic regime has recently hosted experts from its arch rival who helped rehabilitate areas devastated by earthquakes. The services of the three unnamed men, who are employees of a Tel-Aviv based company, were requested by Tehran through a Dutch contracting company which is itself partly owned by an Israeli.

The experts examined ways to reinforce certain infrastructures, such as bridges, roads, sewage and pipes which had been destroyed in the massive earthquake which struck south-east Iran in late 2003.

"We arrived there with blueprints which are still in Israel. Several years ago we were instructed by then infrastructure minister Ariel Sharon to hand the Iranians parts of the Israeli infrastructure plans there following an earthquake," one of the experts said.

The three Israelis, who had deposited their passports in the Netherlands and were given special travel pass which did not disclose their nationality, were received and hosted by Iranian officials, the report said. During their visit, the experts visited and celebrated the Jewish festival of Passover with members of Tehran's small Jewish community. (Iran Mania)

Foreign Ministry Presents: Cool Israel by Itamar Eichner

A delegation of journalists that will be exposed to "the other Israel," as opposed to the terror- and poverty-stricken country they see on their TV screens at home, is arriving soon from the United States.

The delegation will include ten relatively young journalists, who work for the media outlets most popular among 18- to 25-year-olds in America. Writers from MTV, Seventeen, Cosmogirl, Wallpaper, City Magazine, Stuff and Metropolitan News, among others, will be hosted here.

The visit will last eight days, during which the journalists will be exposed to the young, "cool," energetic and flourishing side of Israel. The Foreign Ministry's Public Relations department, in cooperation with the Israeli-American PR organization Israel21C, prepared a rich and diverse itinerary for the delegation, that hopes to leave them with pleasant memories and wanting more.

And what is on the busy schedule? Extensive tours in Tel Aviv, including a visit to Sheinkin Street, the Nahalat Binyamin Mall, Neveh Tzedek neighborhood, drummers' beach, old Jaffa and the Army Radio headquarters.

The nights will be no less wild: the guests will be hosted in Tel Aviv's hottest bars and clubs, such as Haoman 17, G Spot, TLV, and will enjoy dinner at the Manta Ray restaurant.

Deputy head of the ministry's Public Relations department, Zehavit Ben-Hillel, said the delegation represents a demographic which Israel has a hard time reaching. "Our goal is to present Israel through a different and less known prism. We want them to internalize that Israel is a progressive place, modern and youthful, that in its essence is similar to the United States," she said.

"Our hope is that every one of them will find ideas for articles here on the ‘other Israel,'" Ben-Hillel said. (Ynet News)

Will Smith: I Want to Be Soldier for Peace

Hollywood actor Will Smith arrived in Israel for a speedy 48-hours visit accompanied by his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Upon his arrival in the country, Smith requested a meeting with former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's daughter, Dalia Rabin, after hearing so much about her father.

The couple visited the Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel Aviv and watched a movie depicting Rabin's life and leadership. Both Jada and Will were moved by the film, which even caused Jada to shed a tear.

At the end of the screening, Smith stated: "I am inspired beyond my ability to articulate… and now I know what and who I want to be… a soldier for peace." Smith, on his part, expressed interest in attending the event to mark the opening of the Center's museum later this year, and pledged to make a donation to the institute. (Ynet News)

See Also: "Wall" Smith Does Israel

Atir Cohen was deep into his Torah reading during his bar mitzvah at Jerusalem's Western Wall yesterday when shouting girls began pushing against the barrier separating men from women - to get a glimpse of actor Will Smith. Later Smith put a note in the wall's cracks and he and wife Jada Pinkett Smith toured a nearby tunnel and prayed. (AP/New York Post)

Ice Hockey in Hod Hasharon by Ofer Petersberg

A new international level hockey and ice hockey center, the first of its kind in Israel, will be constructed in Hod Hasharon, just north of Tel Aviv, with a $15 million investment. The winter sports center will include room for 5,000 spectators. In the coming months construction work on the center is expected to begin, thanks to investment by a group of Jewish investors from the United States and Canada.

The center will feature an ice hockey skating rink, a rink for everyday skaters, and acrobatic skating. In addition, the facility will include a school for teaching ice skating. The new facility is designed to become Israel's winter sports center.

The facility is supposed to be multi-functional: Within two hours wooden planks can be placed on the ground, allowing basketball, handball, volleyball, and indoor soccer to be played. Investors are seeking to combine Zionism and business in the project, and to advance winter sports in the country. (Ynet News)

Israeli-American Teen Goes Court to Court by Abby Margulies

At age 9, Marisa Gobuty became a hero on her youth basketball team in Encino, California, after scoring the winning shot that won them the championship. After completing the fourth grade and moving to Israel with her family, she had no way of knowing that in just a few years she would be back in California - this time as an Israeli hero - to play on an all star basketball team.

Now 16, the celebrated point guard is helping to lead an all-star style basketball team, part of the FBC (Finest Basketball Club) league to success in a series of high profile tournaments. The FBC, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting student athletes under the age of 19, recruits young players from across the country to play on teams that compete in high profile tournaments during the summer NCAA viewing period.

Beginning in the first weekend in April and continuing throughout the summer, Gobuty will be competing with the FBC team, which has been deemed "one of the nation's most scouted high school age girl's basketball teams" in a series of off-season college viewing tournaments.

Gobuty, who divides her time between the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, a school that has produced over 30 NBA players, and her high school team in Israel - Bnei Herzliya - as well as the Israeli under-18 women's national team, never stops working, according to her father, Marshall Gobuty. Unlike some other players, who may not even pick up a basketball during the off-season, Marisa is always practicing.

The Gobuty family manages to maintain their sense of unity, and their dedication to Judaism, even while outside of Israel. "This has been great fun for us," says Marshall Gobuty. He said that the whole family was going to join them in North Carolina for the Deep South Classic, and for a Passover Seder with Chabad.

Marisa agrees that life has managed to go on in a relatively uninterrupted fashion. "Judaism hasn't been a challenge for me because my parents keep tradition alive for me; it's really not that different from when we were in Israel. I went to a tournament during Hanukkah and I just took my travel menorah with me." (Israel21c)

Same Game, Different Continents by Marcia Katz

Last week, Jerusalem's teenage baseball players from the Israel Association of Baseball(IAB) hosted a visiting team from Boston at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem. The visitors, here in Israel participating in an annual trip from the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston (located in Newton, MA), trounced the Ziontours Cadets in a short, 4-inning game with a score of 4-0.

Strong, consistent pitching by Boston's Sam Forman mainly accounted for the shutout, as he is credited with 12 strikeouts.

The game was organized by IAB's Jerusalem Regional Director, Ellie Render, after meeting Schechter's Head of School, Arnold Zar-Kessler, who is in Israel this year on sabbatical. Render commented, "We were looking for an opportunity for one of our local IAB teams to face an American teen team in the same age bracket. I also thought, as did their school principal, that the Boston kids would love to pack their gloves and have a chance to play some baseball while here in Israel. The IAB hopes that these kids will act as goodwill ambassadors for us back in the U.S."

Boston squad co-captain Brad Baskir added, "They [the Israeli team] really know the mechanics and play the game well. It was a moving experience to be able to participate in America's pastime and to represent our country halfway across the globe." (Jerusalem Post)

A Terrorist Government, Elected or Not, Deserves No Support from America Editorial

It is not just the Palestinian leadership that bears responsibility for Monday's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, but the electorate that put that leadership in place. The main difference between the Hamas government and Arafat's is that Hamas is more honest about its terrorist ambitions. Ultimately, Palestinians need to confront the consequences of their electoral choices, at least if there's any hope of altering their destructive ambitions toward their neighbors. That means imposing, as the Bush Administration has done, a diplomatic and economic embargo, and encouraging other countries to join ranks. (Wall Street Journal)

It Will Never Go Away? Never? by Paula R. Stern

As the commemorations in Israel began for Holocaust Remembrance Day, word came of a massive terrorist attack in Sinai. Our Passover holidays are over and most of us have returned to work and school. The number of Israelis who were in Sinai this week, versus last week, was thankfully small and yet, Israel swung into immediate alert. Ambulances raced to the border - we will care for our own. Come home now was the message sent to all Israelis in Sinai and if you need us, we'll come get you.

There was no Israel to come get them. No country that swung into alert as the dawn of Nazism brought darkness to Europe. This morning, I contemplated, as I often do, what thoughts and memories of the Holocaust we pass on to our children. What age is too young? If we wait too long, are we missing the opportunity to instill a sense of what was done, not just the facts, but the horrendous realities of the humiliation, the hatred and the unrelenting hunt to destroy all remnants of an entire people that was so much a part of what the Nazis inflicted?

The Jew in me feels that it is imperative that we share the lessons of the past, no matter how humiliating. The Israeli in me insists that with this message, we make sure our youth understand that we are no longer helpless, no longer unable to defend our own. We will fly anywhere, fight everywhere to ensure the safety of our people where they are, or we will bring them home. "We had no weapons, we had no country," a Holocaust survivor explained on the radio this morning. Today we have weapons. Today we have a country. (Jewsweek)

Why Isn't Israel Willing to Take Risks? by Yosef (Tommy) Lapid

"Why isn't Israel willing to take risks?" European ambassadors asked recently at a meeting in Tel Aviv. After all, Israel is so strong, and the Palestinians are so weak, and the threats voiced by Arab leaders are for internal consumption only.

There is one difference between us, I answered them, and it does not permit us to rely on anyone other than ourselves, and it is the reason why we will not and cannot take chances. That element is the Holocaust. If a new Holocaust were to occur here, you would surely protest and express regret and you would even establish an orphanage or two to take in the poor Israeli children that survive. And, in your minds, you would be wondering why it's always the Jews that invite such catastrophes.

We lost six million of our people in the Holocaust. Israel currently has six million Jews living in it. We will not be deterred by the threats of our enemies; nor will we listen to the advice of our friends. We will not rely on anyone else. For us, that is the most important lesson of the Holocaust.

Yosef Lapid is a Holocaust survivor. A well-known Israeli journalist, he served in Israel's Knesset and as a minister in the Israeli government. (Jerusalem Post)

Seeing Stars in Jerusalem by Allison Kaplan Sommer

The celebrities are back - it looks like 2006 could be the year of the famous visitor in Israel. It used to be something Israelis took for granted: celebrity sightings in Jerusalem used to be a matter of course in earlier decades when the city was regularly packed with tourists on a daily basis.

And why not? Israel is a unique place, with sights unlike any other in the world, and the famous, just like anyone else, jumped at the chance to experience it.

Then came the terrorist violence beginning in 2000, and along with the sudden and drastic drop in Americans visiting Israel, came the disappearance of American celebrities. Fear overcame the attachment that Jewish and Christian Americans had to the holy places and Israeli tourism dried up overnight.

But quietly and gradually, a comeback has begun to take shape and gathered momentum. The rich and famous, along with other tourists, have decided that they have waited long enough and the time has come for a visit. They are the most visible face of the tourism surge that began in 2004, picked up steam in 2005, and is increasing to an even greater extent.

Last year, we saw Madonna and Richard Gere. And of course, Israel's darling in Hollywood, Jerusalem-born Natalie Portman, who didn't just come to Israel for a short visit, but studied at Hebrew University for a full semester and shot a movie here - and stirred up controversy by shooting a kissing scene at the Western Wall (The new celebrity hangout?). (Israel21c)

Some teens, particularly religiously observant women, seek an army deferment so that they can do civilian national service instead. Hundreds of Sherut Leumi volunteers serve for one or two years in hospitals, schools, development towns and government offices. Bat-Ami is one organization sponsoring Sherut Leumi volunteers [See Hebrew website.]

Many Sherut Leumi volunteers, both religious and secular young adults, also serve in Jewish communities around the globe. [See story, "Shinshin" Volunteers Present a Face for Israel]

Most male high school graduates go straight to the army for three years after their graduation, but they also have a wide variety of choices. Deferments for four, eight or 12 months are possible. While female soldiers are required to serve only two years, those who volunteer for combat units must sign on for a third year.

Physically fit recruits will attend a two-week pre-basic training orientation session after they are assigned to their respective unit in the infantry, tanks, artillery or paratroop corps. Volunteers to Special Forces, air force, submarines, and other elite units will do their final "gibush" at this point.

The recruits begin their half-year of basic training, and about half way through, some soldiers are pulled out for specialized training so they can serve in their units as medics, communications specialists, or snipers.

Recruits who have medical or physical limitations enter "jobnik" training which can last from two to eight weeks. Then they are assigned to their posts, which are often administrative jobs. Talented musicians and athletes can also apply for such postings so that they continue to train.

Religiously observant men and women, particularly graduates from religious high schools, often take a deferment to attend a "mechina" program where they study courses such as Jewish philosophy, laws, Talmud, and Zionism. After one year they enter the army for the full three years, usually in combat units. The relatively new mechina program has produced a large proportion of the army's new officers. The mechina model has proven so successful that a program for nonobservant recruits was started.

Unofficial reports estimate that some 50 percent of the officers' training school graduates are Orthodox soldiers, wearers of the "kippa seruga" - knitted yarmulkas.

Other religious recruits sign up for "hesder" yeshivot where the academic study focuses on the Talmud. Hesder schools have been turning out soldier-scholars for almost 40 years, following a tradition of safra v'saifa - "the scroll and the sword." Students typically study in the yeshiva for 18 months, join combat units for 18 months, and then return to the yeshiva for two more years. During the entire five years they are considered to be IDF personnel. A woman's hesder program recently began as well.

After six months of basic training combat units are often sent to the front to be integrated with veteran units doing patrols or guard duty.

Soldiers with leadership abilities are taken out of their units along the way for unit commander or officer training. The eight-month officer training requires soldiers to sign on for an additional year.

Avoiding the Draft

Conscription in Israel is supposed to be universal (unlike in the United States where military service is voluntary). Serving in the IDF was always one of the most important steps in forming an Israeli's identity. The pride in the unit, the camaraderie with others that carried over into reserve duty, even the slang were all defining elements of "being Israeli." Today, an estimated 30 percent of Israeli youth do not serve. Why not?

First, Israel does not draft its Arab citizens. From the beginning of Israel's history, a decision was made not to force Arabs to be in a position where they may have to fight other Arabs. [Bedouin, Druze and Circassian citizens of Israel do serve in the IDF and have served with distinction.]

Second, most ultra-Orthodox - Haredi - men receive lengthy and often permanent deferments on the grounds that Torah study is their profession, and that cannot be interrupted. Haredi women do not serve in the army or national service on religious grounds or because of their practice of marrying young.

In recent years, scores of Haredi men have joined a new unit, Nahal Haredi, which was established to meet the Haredi standards for Kashrut, time for prayers, and total separation from female soldiers. The unit has been involved recently in military operations in the Jordan River Valley.

A third factor contributing to a decline in army service is a relatively new phenomenon in Israel: a growing percentage of Israeli secular youth choose to avoid the draft as conscientious objectors (COs) or based on medical deferments. Over the years, most COs refused to serve because of Israel's rule in the Palestinian territories. After last summer's disengagement from Gaza and northern Samaria, some right-wing teens refused to serve.

The Good News

Recent studies show that Israeli youth's motivation has never been higher and that the percentage of teens volunteering for combat units reaches record numbers. According to one report quoted in a study by Professor Stuart A. Cohen, in the mid-1990s "only 75 percent of all new recruits expressed themselves ready to serve in combat formations." In November 2003, perhaps as a response to the growing Palestinian terror attacks, 88 percent were ready to volunteer for combat units, Cohen reported.

Israeli youth are motivated and serve valiantly in the IDF. But so do Jewish youth from Canada, Scotland, the United States and Denmark. Young adults from these countries and others have volunteered for the IDF through the Mahal 2000 program. Mahal service is 14-and-a-half months long. A Mahal hesder program requires 9 months in army service and 31 months in a hesder yeshiva. As one participant explained, "I came here with the idea that I was going to give something to the state of Israel. But ultimately, all I did was receive. I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of protecting the land of Israel, to feel that special esprit de corps for myself. Even wearing the uniform was a privilege. I'd feel a kind of pride I can't even express. I was part of something really important. When you're here, the Hebrew word achi (my brother) takes on a whole new meaning." (The Israel HighWay)

Further Information:

IDF Background Information, Mahal 2000

Dilemmas of Military Service in Israel: The Religious Dimension, by Stuart A. Cohen, Torah U'Madda Journal

Putting on the Uniform, IDF (in Hebrew)

Who Can Volunteer for the IDF?, Mahal 2000