In Israel, high school is not followed by college but by service
in the army ““ with few exceptions, every young man and women
is required to enlist after graduation.
Three of these soldiers spoke Wednesday about their experiences
in the Israeli army at UCLA as part of a weeklong celebration of
Israeli Independence.
“The reason these guys are here is to honor what
they’re doing in Israel, to protect Israel, to bring about
peace in Israel,” said Rona Ram, president of UCLA Hillel,
which sponsored the event.
The American media coverage of Israel is often of suicide
bombings, gunfire and otherwise unpleasant events.
But the three soldiers who came to UCLA Wednesday presented a
very different picture of what it was like to live in Israel and
serve in the Israeli army.
“It’s not like what it looks like on CNN,”
said Donna Milo, who at age 20 serves in the Special Units of the
Israeli Defense Forces.
The newsreels show bombed buildings, but as an Israeli citizen
and soldier, Milo said she sees a lot more.
Though there are certainly moments of grueling hardship, all of
the soldiers emphasized the good over the bad.
Repeatedly throughout the event, the soldiers spoke of meeting a
wide variety of people who serve in the army as one of the most
rewarding experiences.
Though they are not in a traditional war situation, men and
women who may never ordinarily meet are bound together by the idea
of defending their country and keeping it safe, said Ron Ben-Simon,
a soldier in the Special Units.
This common goal keeps morale up even through tough times, he
added.
Israeli Arab citizens are the only ones not required to
enlist.
“The army does not want to put them in a compromising
position … where they have to fight their brother or their
cousin,” Milo said.
The current situation in Israel and the actions of the army are
surrounded by a great deal of controversy. An area that has
received much of the attention is the checkpoints through which
Palestinians must pass before entering Israel.
For both the Palestinians passing through the checkpoint and the
Israelis manning the post, the experience is difficult.
“Standing at a checkpoint is not easy,” said Moshe
Dagen, a 23-year-old team commander in the Special Unit
paratroopers.
It is difficult both mentally and physically ““ standing in
the heat for hours is draining and the sometimes-necessary decision
to turn Palestinians away is not an easy one.
The decision is not made on a whim, but on security needs, Dagen
said.
But if the issue were over what was easiest, there would be no
checkpoints ““ Palestinians would not be allowed to enter
Israel at all, he said.
“The easy way to do it is to close the city and say,
“˜You don’t work in Israel,'” Dagen
said.
Training, as well as missions for the army, also cause strain
for the soldiers.
“Physically, mentally, emotionally it’s
grueling,” Ben-Simon said.
But all three said their desire to protect their country is
worth the struggles.
This is the same dedication to Israel that students are
celebrating at UCLA this week in honor of Israeli Independence Day,
which is today.
There will be a fair in Bruin Plaza today to celebrate the
culture of Israel.