Day 9 (6.23.14): For the cause by Abby Ophir

“We are fighting for a reason.”

That desire connected the soldiers at the Golani basic training base who had left their home country to come and defend the state of Israel. As an American Jewish teen, I understand why Israelis have such a strong connection to the Israeli army and their commitment to protect their own country. However, I have a hard time understanding why someone from a different country would want to serve in the Israeli military. Our visit to the military base today gave me clarity. What started out as a presentation about the inner workings of the Israel Defense Force, especially at the Golani base, turned into English speaking soldiers explaining how they got there and why.

As we sat in Golani’s auditorium, three male soldiers were introduced to us and everyone was in awe. They were gigantic. I thought to myself they couldn’t possibly be Israeli, they were just too tall. Each of them was at least over six feet, which is a almost unheard of in the Israeli community. As they began to speak about their personal reasons for joining the IDF, you could here their passion for what they are doing. Raffi, a native of New Jersey, told us about how many of his friends at the Yeshiva in Israel where he studied spoke about their experiences in the army, and it made him interested in joining. Also, he saw himself as living in Israel in the future, and being in the army is a way to be part of the society. Another soldier, Ansel, explained how ever since he was 15 and living in Germany, he saw himself in the Israeli army, something that many outsiders can’t fathom.

However, in most of our speakers’ personal stories it all came down to fighting for a reason. They spoke about how in the IDF, they were fighting to protect their adopted home and as they walked down the street they could see the results of their service. Children and adults are able to walk without fear because of the hard work they put in. And that is what made it clear to me why non-Israelis wanted to join the army. It is because most felt a personal connection to this country, something they have never felt in the country where they were born. It didn’t matter that they are not native Israelis, they are driven to fight and protect the Jewish homeland.

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