So who serves in the Israeli army and how? We will try to answer this question, which worries many potential repatriates.
WHO SERVES?
Freshly minted Israelis, even if they are of conscription age, will not be sent to 'war' straight from the gangplank of a ship arriving from Odessa. New immigrants register at the recruitment office within six months of arrival and peacefully settle their personal affairs. During this time, they manage to resolve housing issues, find a job, and even open an offshore account. They can be called up for compulsory service no earlier than one year after arriving in the country, and reservists are called up only after two years. There is a catch with the 'day of arrival': for repatriates who have been in Israel less than two years before finally saying goodbye to one of their homelands, the day of arrival is considered the day they first set foot on Israeli soil. Such immigrants may indeed be put on army rations soon after arrival. Each individual conscript is approached individually, and the length of service is determined based on personal circumstances. For the most part, Israeli soldiers are young, unmarried, and childless. In general terms, the scheme for conscripting repatriates for compulsory service looks something like this.
The longest service – three years – is for those who arrived in Israel before the age of 18. Those who arrived at 18-19 are conscripted for 30 months (married ones for 18 months). Unmarried men who arrived at 20-21 serve two years (married ones one year), and the same one year is served by those who arrived at 22-23. Those who arrived after 24 serve in the reserves; men over 30 are not conscripted. Men who arrived at 18-29 and have children are also not conscripted. A deferment can be obtained for education, but after graduating from university, one still has to serve the full term, and no changes in status (marriage, aging, etc.) that occur during studies can shorten the service period. Repatriates who are not subject to conscription due to age but cannot be fully exempted from service serve up to 120 days under the 'shlav bet' program.
Now about 'female' conscription. Unmarried girls who arrived in Israel before turning 17 are conscripted. Married, pregnant women, and women with children are not conscripted. A woman can be exempted from the army on the basis of observing a religious lifestyle, i.e., if she observes the laws of religious food preparation ('kashrut') and does not use transport on Saturdays. The maximum service period for a girl is 21 months. Many girls exempted from military service voluntarily go into alternative civilian service – working in hospitals, caring for the disabled, etc. Among Israeli men, pacifists are not supposed to exist by law – at least, the possibility of alternative service is not provided for them.
HOW DO THEY SERVE?
First, all conscripts undergo a basic military training course ('tiroanut'), after which they are assigned to branches of the military. An officer from the selection committee asks the soldier to indicate which branch they would like to serve in (the soldier can name three options in order of preference). But first and foremost, when assigning soldiers to branches, the needs of the army are taken into account.
Service in 'tiroanut' is considered the hardest period in the army – mainly due to the sharp increase in physical exertion that accompanies the transformation of civilian boys and girls into good soldiers of one of the best armies in the world. Soldiers have to drink a lot of water (up to four liters a day) to avoid heatstroke, and use their energy very sparingly. If necessary, they can complain about service conditions to a special officer present in each unit, or to an inspector for handling soldier complaints – about daily routine, abuse of authority, or unfair decisions by commanders.
Men and women serve together in the army (except for combat units); they are taught roughly the same things. An interesting type of service, somewhat reminiscent of Vladimir Voinovich's story about soldier Chonkin, is service in NAHAL. This is a branch where military service is combined with agricultural work. 'NAHALs,' young soldier-settlers, go through all stages of service together, in permanent groups. Another option for 'combined' service is service in 'yeshivot hesder' – a religious educational institution combining service and study; the total period of service and study here is five years.
A repatriate receives a draft notice within a year of arriving in the country, after which they undergo a medical examination and exams. One important exam is the Hebrew proficiency test; its results determine which branch the recruit will be sent to. It is important to know that an only child cannot be sent to a combat zone without the consent of their parents; the same rule applies to those whose close relatives died during military service.
Military service is paid. The first 'pocket' money is given in cash, then payments are transferred to the soldier's bank account.
'DEMOBILIZATION'
As paradox lovers joke, demobilization is what makes serving worthwhile. An Israeli will see a fair amount of truth in this joke – if only because those discharged from the Israeli army are entitled to considerable benefits.
First, they have priority in employment. Second, they receive substantial financial assistance. Upon demobilization, each soldier (male or female) receives a gift. The gift amount is calculated as follows: the number of months considered for benefits is multiplied by 70 shekels. In addition, 'demobbed' soldiers have personal accounts opened with a deposit in a special absorption fund. When determining the deposit amount, the number of 'benefit' months is multiplied by 270 shekels. This deposit is targeted; it can only be used to complete education (or vocational training), buy an apartment, or start a business. If within five years after demobilization the money for 'good purposes' remains unclaimed, it is taken from the former soldier.
Finally, 'demobbed' soldiers who decide to dedicate themselves after service to some particularly needed cause for the homeland receive assistance to pay for preparatory courses or the first year of a certain educational institution.
RESERVISTS
Soldiers who have completed compulsory service are assigned to reserve units. In combat reserve units, men serve until age 49, in rear units until 54. Married women and women over 24 are generally not called up for reserve duty.
Typically, reservists serve 3-6 weeks each year, and they receive notification of the call-up several weeks before the start of service, so they have time to arrange personal affairs. (I recall the old Soviet times when our men were taken away at night 'to the partisans' – editor's note.) In emergency cases, news of a reserve call-up can come suddenly. For each day of service, a reservist is entitled to monetary compensation. Those who worked more than 75 days before the call-up receive their regular salary from their employer.