SUNDAY MORNING SOLDIERS

This morning, as I do every two weeks or so, dropped my 20 year old son off at a bus stop. But unlike in many countries in the “West” where he would be on his way back to University (if he lived close enough to visit that often and wanted to…), my son was headed back to active duty as a combat soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (he is a paratrooper).

And he was not alonge— like all Sunday mornings when I bring him to the bus stop, there were other soldiers there, all transitioning from their visits home back to army life. Rather than a laptop my son had with him a m-16 semi-automatic with a laser site. Instead of fashion suited for a 20 year old, he was dressed in “battle” green, which will be his “color of choice” till his next home leave.

The Israeli army is a fascinating experience, not only for the soldiers themselves but for their families and society as a whole. Rather than the experience be far away, it is in your face. Particularly on Sunday mornings, but really every day. Chances are on any bus ride, train ride, or just walking down the street in a major Israeli city you will pass soldiers heavily armed and on their way to or from combat duty.

Thank god much of the time these days my son and his fellow soldiers are training and patrolling, rather than active fighting — but we live with the reality that life can change in a moment.

Over the weekend, very much under-reported, over 500 people were killed in the ongoing civil war in Syria. My son at times patrols the border with Syria…and we live less than an hour’s drive from the border.

Over shabbat my oldest son and I discussed an article that appeared in Haaretz on some of the inequalities that exist in the army, and the fact that even in the army the “haves” sometimes are better off than the “have-nots” (e.g. parents can buy them better equipment, which I don’t think should be allowed but what parent won’t do it if not expressly forbidden).

We talked about the mandatory three years and how the army thinks top down rather than bottom up (rather than thinking through how many soldiers they need, army recruits and then says — OK, what do I do with all these soldiers — I know many start-ups that take similar approach to raising capital). I hope that we can be more efficient and bring down the mandatory service — three years is a long time.

But we are blessed, if you can say that, with a small country that is not more than 5–6 hours drive from the furthest North to furthest south. So when soldiers get 2 day leave they can make it back home and back to their base without too much trouble.

Which keeps us connected in a way that doesn’t allow the army and it’s soldiers to be “out of sight,” and/or “out of mind.”

I am a strong supporter of universal service — whether that be military or some other form of national service —and look forward to all Israeli parents being proud to brings their sons and daughters back on Sunday morning to continue their service. But I also pray that they be agents of peace, of justice, and devote themselves to repairing the world. The army here is called the Israel Defense Force — maybe it’s time we changed the name to the Israeli Repairing Force, reflecting our mission to bring peace and prosperity to the world.