The Israeli Defense Force and Gadna

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The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and Israel’s policy of mandatory military service is an incredibly influential aspect of Israeli society and culture; so many elements of life here in Israel are impacted by the fact that Israel relies on a people’s army where military service is required for everyone. Unlike many American teenagers whose existences are plagued by prerequisites for college like the SAT, Israeli teenagers spend their time preparing for the IDF in which they will soon serve. This in itself is a stark cultural difference; at the age of 18, American teens shuffle into university, perhaps nervous about making friends or the academic challenges ahead of them while Israelis of the same age are handed semi-automatic weapons and given the responsibility of defending their country. In order to better understand what Israelis our age are experiencing and the IDF as an organization, my peers and I spent this past week in Sde Boker on a military training base called Gadna (גדנ׳ה). There, we lived as IDF soldiers in basic training and got a glimpse of the principals and values of the IDF.

During the week, we learned some of the basic IDF skills like team working and completing timed tasks, and we even learned how to shoot weapons. The week was long and arduous, filled with intense discipline and difficult physical activity, but the impression I’m left with surprisingly doesn't have to do with the extreme rigidity of the Israeli army, it has to do with the values upon which the IDF was founded and the standards it holds its young and unexperienced soldiers to. Our commander, who was in the midst of her actual Israeli army service, led our tzevet (team) not only in drills and exercises, but also in meaningful conversations about the values of the IDF. During one of the several lessons we had on guns and gun safety before our shooting experience, we learned about the model for use of weapons in the IDF. Our commander, who is required by law to carry an m16 assault rifle with her at all times (and to sleep with it under her pillow) taught us about one of the IDF’s standards called Purity of the Weapon. Our commander presented us with a hypothetical scenario: a terrorist stabbed your combat partner in the back and then surrendered, do you shoot? I wasn’t sure what the IDF’s answer to this question would’ve been, as Israel is a country constantly on high alert for terrorism and conflict, but I was quick to answer no. Our commander then explained the value, elaborating on my answer. She explained IDF soldiers are taught and expected to maintain purity in their use of weaponry, meaning feelings and any other external circumstances can never interfere with a soldier’s use of their weapon. They are taught that the responsibility of guns and weapons comes down to two choices: good and easy, and they are instructed to always make the good choice, even when there is a thin line between the two. They are also taught to maintain the IDF's value of defense rather than offense; after all, it is called the Israeli Defense Force. Israeli soldiers are expected only to fight or resort to violence when Israeli security has already been seriously threatened, which isn't actually the case in many other global armies. The IDF should never be the source of offense or instigation. This seems like common knowledge, nobody in any army should use a weapon when they don’t need to, but placing myself in the shoes of the juvenile 18 year old Israeli combat soldiers, I understand that it can be more complicated than just that and that this value is a necessary one in making life or death decisions.

Although even I had preconceived notions about the IDF due to a commonly violent western characterization of it, I was relieved and proud to know the the IDF’s answer to this hypothetical scenario was no, just as my own answer was. After this lesson as well as the others we had, I’ve come to further understand and genuinely respect the IDF for its values such as Purity of the Weapon. I originally thought all Israeli teens were thrown into the army, with no context or explanation, and expected to follow the strict rules of the army, but I now understand how much more than just combative defense there is to the IDF.