Week 10

I had loads of conversations about the army before the army. I spoke to everyone I could. People my age who had done it, people who were currently in the army, people who also drafted at an older age, Israelis and Americans. I was looking for bits of wisdom; pieces of advice I could take with me on day one and throughout. I heard lots of great tips, but one comment stuck with me because of how I disagreed with it and how I hoped it wouldn’t be true.

A friend who had done the army told me, ” At a certain point, all the Camp Moshava/ Bnei Akiva tzionut and appreciation/idolization of soldiers wears off and you realize you’re in a military, just like any other in the world. You’re just a soldier who’s part of a countries army.” I knew intellectually that made sense, and I anticipated (and maybe still anticipate) that that feeling can come and go, but deep down I knew the army would always feel special to me. Id always view the “Israeli army” as different than just any other army and I’d always find it remarkable that I get to be a part of it.

Why am I sharing all this? Because this past week, the army also did their part in reminding us why we’re all here, what we’re fighting for, how special and crazy it is that we have this land and how important it is that we protect it and our nation within.

On Sunday, after a Shabbat in Modiin (in which I finally got to sleep in the Sukkah and feel a little bit like it was Sukkot) the army brought us to a Yom Chinuch in the Otef

We started at the Nova site and were given time to walk around and look at the memorial that’s been erected. 

We heard from a high ranking general who started by telling us that he had clinical PTSD after צוק איתן but fought in Nova on Oct. 7. He told us about the craziness of that day, shared his personal experiences, and spoke at length about how much of a privilege it is that the Jewish people have Eretz Yisrael after 2000 years of longing and waiting. He wasn’t wearing a kippah, I’m not sure he was even Dati, but he felt a deep connection to the Jewish people. Throughout the speech he mentioned characters and warriors in Tanach and compared our service to their stories.

After that, we went to kfar aza and heard from soldiers in 202 who fought there and defended the people of the Kfar. Afterwards, we heard from the brother of a  fallen soldier. All of the speakers spoke about the firefights and their experienced but also emphasized how important it was for them to fulfill their role as protectors of Israel. There wasn’t a note of regret or anxiety at having to battle against terrorists. They were trained for a purpose.

We got out that night for the second days of Sukkot. I  got to spend time with my best friend from Yeshiva Jared and his newlywed Sophie as well as other friends in Jerusalem.

It was also especially nice to be on the streets of Jerusalem as the hostages were coming home and the ceasefire deal was finalized. Growing up, you hear stories about important dates in Israel, like the announcement of their independence, and how there was dancing in the streets. I always wished I could be a part of historic moments like that and, living in Israel there’s no shortage of them. I even got to see people dancing in the streets 🙂

We came back on Wednesday morning and again, were brought to an Oct. 7 memorial, put together by mashakiot on base. On Thursday, we started the morning with a tekes for Oct. 7 where we read the Ramatkals official statement.

We went to the shooting range ( I shot 49/50 on one of the exercise!!) and I had my first major slipup. I was reloading magazines in between shots and, since I haven’t learned the one handed reload yet, I rested the gun on my knee. The gun pointed a bit left, away from the targets, which is extremely dangerous.  The Mefaked samal quickly noticed, shouted at me, and emptied my gun, promptly telling me to take off my equipment and leave the range – I wouldn’t be shooting anymore that day. I apologized later in the day and asked my מ”כ to teach me the one handed method.

Later on, we heard from a commander in 202, who along with two other commanders in our Pluga and a whole tzevet, were the ones who conquered the house Sinwar hid in and killed him. They told us the whole story in specifics, and it definitely brought pride and looks of awe on the faces of everyone in the room, myself included.

That night we did the 05 test – 7 pullups with a 7 KG vest, 20 dips and 10 squats with 80 Kg in order to pass. I’ve been in the extra strength training, wherein we get extra lessons throughout the week (I’m not a gym guy) and so I’m really happy to say I passed all the tests. Huge sigh of relief.

On Friday morning, we woke up at 4 AM to do the בחמ”ס – בוחן מסלול. The obstacle course. It’s one of the hardest physical tests. A 600 meter run, 15 obstacles, and a 500 meter run afterwards. All while wearing a vest with 5 magazines and two full water bottles and your gun strapped to you. You want to throw up and die afterwards. You need to do it in 10:35 in order to pass. I did it in 11:00 – but for whatever reason this time, I couldn’t pass the wall and rope for a few tries. Usually I do. If I fix that, I’m sure next time will be better. Onwards and upwards.

Everyone else in the Pluga went home for Shabbat, but it’s my classes turn to close. We stayed back and had a day of what I like to call arts and crafts – tying strings on different parts of equipment and labeling things. The army takes equipment care very seriously.

It was a meaningful week. The army does a good job of grounding you and making you remember why you specifically chose kravi. Why you chose to put your life on the line, become the best soldier you can be, and defend your home.

It couldn’t come at a better time – I’m starting to feel the weight of the army, something I think I’ve been pushing off. I don’t mean that the physical acts are hard – those are mainly mental and we improve over time.  It’s the craziness of being in a foreign army; the language and culture gap, the fact that I don’t have the ability to just go on a walk around central park, see movies in NYC theaters, or see my family. I knew this coming in, and I’m definitely okay with it, but it definitely is an aspect of being a chayal boded. Still, I couldn’t be happier that I’m here, serving the Israeli army, and know absolutely 100% that this is what I’m meant to be doing. Sometimes, the most important things in life are the hardest. It’s specifically then that you put your head down and get to work.