Growing up in Israel - a very personal perspective

Ann wrote:


This letter was written by my daughter in response to several comments in the international media and on the Internet about the horrible Israeli soldiers who have no respect for suffering or human life. My daughter is 19 and is serving in the Israeli Air Force. Nearly everyone she knows who is close to her own age, and close to her personally, is serving in the army right now. She included pictures of several of her friends, which I have not included. I have corrected her spelling (English is not her native language), but not her grammar. She has given permission for this letter to be forwarded by me, and by anyone who reads it. A, Israel



"My name is El K H, I'm 19 years old going on 20 in a couple of months and I'm already a year and a 6 months in the army.
I was burn and raised in Israel but lived and learned in the U.S.. for my whole senior year.
Which means, if you know how to calculate, by the time every senior student you may know, maybe even your own kids, and even any one older than me, were concentrating on how to celebrate their 18th birthday, what college they'll be going to, or whether they even want to go to college or maybe prefer to work first, or go on a semester abroad, I was concentrating on what [army] unit I want to try to get into, how much work I'll be able to get in one month before I get drafted because then I have two years to try to live on less than 80$ a month.

So I just want to get some points right - our Israeli army is built from 18-22 year olds, every Israeli by the time they are 16 get a letter by mail saying:
''congratulations, in two years exactly you will be drafted to the Israeli army'', at that same moment that same/teen,child or what ever you want to call them starts thinking of what unit they want to get in, start training every single day-not so they can become the best basketball player or to get into a sports team that they like but so they can get into the most combat unit, become the strongest soldier so when that same suicide bomber that's trying to get into Israel so he can kill/slaughter/hurt/torture any and as many Israelis as he can, maybe being that same soldier's parent, sister, brother, nephew, aunt, uncle, niece, friend and many other people he knows and cares [about].
And these are not speculations or exaggerations-these are true story that I have personally grown up to, supporting; wiping away tears and holding my friends and neighbors when they where falling apart because their loved ones were hurt or killed in terror attacks, wars and military operations- you name it I have lived it!
So dear readers, I want you to think about the last time you went to a restaurant, or taken your kids to a movie, sending them to school on a bus, has the thought of you and the people around you being blown up at that same moment ever popped into your head?

Let me tell you a nice story; about 7 years ago, maybe even more, I was at least 13 and my brother 8. We were very poor and couldn't afford to buy tickets to a movie for years, and I had just won 2 free tickets to the movie ''Ice Age'' who had just came out in theaters. My mom agreed to take me and my brother to Haifa where the closest theater was in [the same] week when we would both be on Passover vacation. Needless to say that we where very excited, I was looking forward to go for that whole week. One day before, Mom came to me and said '' Eliana we are not going to the movie''. I of course was outraged, asking why and how come and the only thing my mom told me was '' I just don't feel good about it''. I was furious and upset not being able to understand her and how she could do that to us since that was the only day we could watch the movie. The very morning after, around noon that same day the restaurant and all the road and street outside the theater was bombed, one of the most horrible and memorable bomb attacks in the whole history of Israel. In fact, most of the pictures from the videos from "you-tube", the ones with all the body parts all over, is from that attack, ''the Maxime Restaurant'' attack.
This to me is a nice story, this is what I always compared happy endings to.

So you see, the Israeli-Palestinian argument really isn't that complicated at heart like you want to believe it is!
In fact I will simplify it for you. The Hamas are one of the biggest anti-Israel groups. They are anti Israel not because me; my family, one of my friends or their families or any other person living in Israel today has done anything to hurt them, but because some twisted thinking that started even before Israel was established.
So because of that they try to kill us, hurt us as much as they can by sending missiles, suicide bombing attackers, kidnappers and anything they can think about.
Israel in return sends also missiles, attacks homes, hospitals, schools, and misgads(prayer homes) [mosques].
Why?
That same prayer house and school.and hospitals and homes were at use by the Hamas to launch missiles, use to be bomb making factories and used as refuge to some Hamas leaders.
Now why do you think they do that?
Because they know for fact that despite them we are human, we know to make the difference between those who are innocent and those who aren't.
They don't.
They use their own, not only elderly and adult- but children, to try and get what they want or to try and protect their own.
When Israeli soldiers went into Gaza bombing secret tunnels and buildings (only because they're where the launching points of the missiles that were being launched into Israel) they came across lots of Palestinians, Gaza residents who where hurt, and they received health care by our medic soldiers. We cared for them and about them more than ''their own''.

Let me ask you something, if your neighbor would start shooting at your home, endangering your own family because he hates the fact that he couldn't get the land your house is on, would you justify him or try to understand him while he is doing anything he possibly can to hurt, torture and endanger your family and you? Would you feel that you have to buy and send humanitarian things to him because he is out; while still trying to hurt you?

Now you're right, these words are not out of an educated degree holder, not even by a college graduate, they are by me- a 19 year old girl who serves as a commander in the Israeli air force,who trains the soldiers, who instead of being able to watch a movie or TV with my 19-20 something year old friends I see them on t/v, camouflaging their faces in 2 in the morning, carrying guns and equipment heavier than their own body weight, burying their own officer, team friend or even burying their own brothers.

You probably got to know the parents of the guy you where dating by dinners you were invited to. I get to know the parents of the boy I am dating by phone calls I get from his mother crying her soul out, seconds from becoming crazy cus she knows he is in there, just wanting to know if he called, SMSed or anything.

Oh, just so you know, that same mother was almost killed in a bomb attack about 6 years ago. She was on her way back home in a cab where they stopped on the way to give a ride to some Arab who looked desperate, waiting for hours for a ride. They offered [invited] him to join them. He got in, sat next to her and less than seconds after he bombed himself [blew himself up]. The cab driver- an Arab as well - was killed as was her friend. No one knows how by miracle she had survived.
She was hospitalized for almost a year with 3rd degree burns.
And that is the same reason her son got drafted to the army and became an officer in the tank unit, to do all that he personally can to stop terror and protect the country and the citizens.

They [Israeli soldiers] do not gloat after an innocent child or family has been killed, whereas Palestinians go out in the streets burning our flag, singing and dancing after ours have been killed.
Furthermore, my friends and my brother would wake up in the middle of the night because of nightmares. It took my brother almost two years to settle down after getting released from the army because of almost becoming crazy after all he has seen.

SO ONE LAST QUESTION TO YOU HOW DARE YOU SAY I NEED A DEGREE TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THE REALITY I WAS BORN TO, LIVE AND BREATHE?!


May you think about how the purity and innocence of childhood and family should be, and the next time you write an email may it be with nothing but sympathetic words to the mothers who have just lost their sons and those who might still lose them, or ways to donate to those same soldiers who have not eaten in days, freezing from cold or to those same children and families in Israel who have nowhere to live since they had to leave their homes because their towns have been bombed non stop. and the minute they found refuge in the north- that same town was bombed as well.

So may you have a great week, and if you would ever want to serve instead of me I would love to get my degree so I can prove my point even more."