Giving a human face to the IDF uniform

The StandWithUs Israeli Soldiers Tour came to Rhode Island on April 15. This innovative program features reserve-duty Israeli college students who talk about their lives as ordinary Israeli citizens, as well as the Arab-Israeli conflict, while building bridges with people of all ages. 

During their April 15–17 stay in Rhode Island, the soldiers spoke to residents of Laurelmead Cooperative, in Providence; to teens at a joint NCSY/BBYO Shabbaton held at the Providence Hebrew Day School; at a luncheon sponsored by the Providence Kollel and Project Shoresh; and at a Men’s Club breakfast at Temple Torat Yisrael, in East Greenwich, reaching more than 220 people in total.

Ilana and Itai, whose last names are being withheld for security reasons,  are a married couple. Itai proposed to Ilana during their wartime reserve duty in Gaza in 2014. They were both wearing uniforms. Not the most romantic setting, but “it felt right to be thinking about life at the very moment that enemies of Israel were encouraging death,” Itai said.  The photograph of their engagement on Facebook went viral on the Internet, reaching over 1.4 million people.

Itai is 28 and the fourth generation of his family to be born in Jerusalem. He was a first lieutenant in active duty, and is now a captain in the reserves. He currently studies  PPE – political science, philosophy and economics – at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His ancestors made aliyah from Iran (then called Persia), on a donkey. It took them several weeks, because, as Itai said, “a donkey is no Ferrari.”

The other side of his family came from Czechoslovakia as Holocaust survivors just after the war. His family is a coming together of Jews from different corners of the world, the east and the west. That is Israeli society – a mixture of cultures and traditions from all around the world.

While serving in an elite unit, Itai was summoned suddenly one night to find the terrorists who murdered the Fogel family in Itamar.

After receiving intelligence that they might be hiding in a particular home, his soldiers knocked firmly on the door, and two young Palestinian parents opened it. The mother was holding a crying baby in her arms. Itai remembered standing there and thinking that despite all the anger and frustration that they felt about the horrible murders, hearing that baby cry made him realize that the whole situation was forced upon all of them: none of them wanted to be there. Not Itai, who was 23 years old and hadn’t had time for himself for four years. Not his young soldiers, who would much rather be out with their family and friends. And not the Palestinian baby, who had no idea what was going on around her. In fact, the only ones thriving in these situations are terrorists and those who support or legitimize them.

Ilana is 26 years old and studying for a master’s degree in diplomacy and conflict resolution. She is a born-and-bred Israeli with an English accent due to learning English from her British parents, who made aliyah before she was born. Her grandfather grew up in Baghdad and survived the Farhoud in Iraq, a massacre of Jews during the Holocaust that was conducted by the Iraqi government with the Nazis. 

The other side of her family originates from Poland, and went to England during the Holocaust. All of those who stayed behind were murdered in Nazi concentration camps. 

Ilana was an officer and served for 3-1/2 years, volunteering for longer than required. She was in charge of identifying the difficulties of the combat soldiers and providing a framework of support.

During the summer of 2014, Ilana served in the operation against Hamas in Gaza. She was called up for emergency reserve duty as a first responder.

When she arrived in Gaza, it was the first time she had experienced how the residents of southern Israel have been living since 2005. When Israel disengaged from the Gaza strip, Hamas took over and began shooting rockets over the border, indiscriminately targeting Israeli civilians. 

The rockets can reach very far across Israel, affecting even the center of the nation, where Ilana’s parents live. 

“There, people have about a minute and a half to get to a bomb shelter [after] a rocket alert sounds over the Iron Dome protective system. A minute and a half is not a long time, but it’s enough. Down near Gaza, you have only 15 seconds, regardless of where you are – sleeping, eating, in the shower – to save your life. 

“You hear the call over a loudspeaker system, as the Iron Dome does not even have time to be activated so close to Gaza, and you run. You run to a concrete circle and cram in there with all the other soldiers, waiting for it to be safe. This is an absurd reality – and it has been the reality in the south ever since Hamas took over.”

One point that both soldiers emphasized is that terror hurts everyone, including the innocent Palestinians who want to live peaceful lives. Terror introduces suspicion and fear, instead of encouraging cooperation and understanding, they said.   

Both Ilana and Itai offered a message of peace and they long for a time when their military service will no longer be needed.

BRACHA STUART is executive director of the Rhode Island chapter of StandWithUs. StandWithUs is a 15-year-old international, nonprofit Israel education organization that supports people around the world who want to educate their campuses and communities about Israel.