My Israeli friends view on the army

3-6-16

This past weekend I spent my shabbat with my family friends in Petah Tikva. They have three kids, a boy and girl who are twins ( 21 years old), and a girl who is 16. I have known them for years, but up until this trip I never really knew how to ask them about the army. The twins have very non physical jobs but they have discussed what it feels like to have to be in the army. They know from the beginning that they have to join, but as we discussed at gadna, it is different for Israelis than it is for a american choosing to join. They told me that you have to choice how to view it yourself. Your perception going into it is important. It depends where you are on the level of gratification you get. I thought about this most of the weekend. I wondered if when a teen joins the IDF their view of how they cherish their country is drastically different or if they know how they view their country and it never changes it. Before I did Gadna i never really thought about the two different perspectives of american teens versus Israelis. Gadna is nothing compared to the real thing but I think getting my perspective from my family friends and seeing a taste of basic training made me see the IDF in a whole new light. I found that It strengthened my support of the strong pride israel has in its country and made me appreciate it even more.