Visitors to Israel generally ask lots of questions about soldiers, you know, those guys and gals in the range of 18-21 years of age who serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Everyone in the country is called up to service, Jewish young men and women, and about 80% serve. If a man is ultra-Orthodox, if a woman is similarly observant, or married or pregnant, she may be exempted from military service. Some religious Jewish individuals do alternate service that benefits the country, along with a percentage of Israeli Arabs coming from bedouin and Druze communities, combined with those from the general Christian and Muslim Arab communities who choose to serve.
But back to women. For those with inquiring minds: there are no high-heeled combat boots. (Believe me, I’ve checked….)
Sigh.
As with men in the IDF, the ladies may come from urban or rural backgrounds, native- or foreign-born Israelis, religious or secular. Women are conscripted from the ages of 18-26, the later periods often due to deferments for education, religious study, or perhaps they just moved to Israel. Women serve anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2 years, compared with 3 years for men, and longer by at least nine months for both genders who pursue officer training.
Military service works as the great melting pot, unifying young citizens who take pride in serving Israel. Tangible skills are acquired in the military, prior to college, and those arriving from other countries go directly into intensive Hebrew classes. One’s status is often linked to his or her position or role as a soldier.
Women in fighting roles started in pre-State days (pre-1948), from underground fighting units in the land, to those fighting for the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Brave young women proved vital.
Today, all new inductees receive testing to determine which branch and role in the IDF would be best suited to their abilities. Preferences are taken into account, but those remain secondary to the goal of maximum usefulness to the country. The women serve in roles ranging from administrative support, to intelligence, training and operations. High-tech positions offer training as computer programmers, technicians and smart weapons systems operators. A smaller percentage of women pursue combat roles, often sought-out as a way to advance to the more senior military and corporate spheres in Israel. What starts out as kids-in-uniform morphs into middle-aged higher-ups.
So the next time you’re strolling the streets of Jerusalem and encounter a female IDF soldier, bold, beautiful, wearing their M-16 rifle out for a cup of coffee, remember: this is a highly-trained young lady who loves her country, Israel. She may enjoy carefully-applied cosmetics in her free time, however, she wears carefully-applied camouflage paint during military field exercises. She is often used to train male recruits. And yes, she will usually pose for a quick photo, just as easily as her male counterparts.
Pray for these guys and girls keeping Israel, our Middle Eastern ally, safe.
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