Lakewood, New Jersey. A city that boasts one of the largest yeshivas (religious seminaries) in the world and where half the population is made up of Orthodox Jews. The majority of the community is ultra-Orthodox and anti-Zionist. But one girl, Hava Pisgosh Shama, decided at very young age not to take what her teachers and her friends told her at face value.
At 16, she began a new adventure that brought the anti-Zionist Orthodox community of New Jersey and Division 300 of the IDF’s Northern Command into contact for the very first time.
While Hava’s journey led her to Israel, she hasn’t lost the religious faith she grew up with. Despite her decisions, Hava’s parents continue to support her. Every morning, they look at the photograph of their daughter in uniform on their fridge. They recently bought an apartment in Israel so they could visit her.
A Proud Family
It took Hava, aged 19 and seventh of ten children, a year to get her parents to let her move to Israel. She started out in ‘mechinat olim’ (preparatory year for new immigrants) at Bar-Ilan University. During the year she got her call-up letter in the mail. Hava didn’t hesitate for a moment
“I’ve wanted to visit this country my whole life,” she says. “I even had an Israeli flag hanging on the wall in my room. I can’t explain where it comes from. At sixteen, after an argument with my family, I came to visit for the first time and as soon as I arrived, I realized that this is my home. In my community in New Jersey, we don’t talk about Israel, the IDF or the government, and certainly not in Hebrew! They are against the government and non-religious Jews because they believe that the State of Israel will only delay the coming of the Messiah.”
Growing Up
Hava learned almost nothing about Israel growing up. “We only learned what is written in the Torah,” she says. “We learned a little about the Holocaust because many rabbis perished then, but we didn’t hear the whole story, or even the fact that the State of Israel was born afterwards. They told us that there is a place called Israel, which is holy and where you can visit the Western Wall and the graves of tzaddikim (righteous men). Apart from that, we knew nothing.
When I arrived here, I was in shock. A country? A government? An army? Until I was 14, I thought Israel was full of camels and not much else.”
Hava’s school didn’t accept her passion for Israel. When she arrived at school one day with an Israeli flag, her teachers forced her to hide it. “The director told me that this wasn’t something a girl should have. I was really upset because I didn’t understand why everyone was against it.” she says.
Community Reaction
Hava’s decision gets mixed reactions from her community. “I only keep in touch with my parents and my best friends,” she says. “My family supports me and is proud of what I do. I know there are people who think it’s not right but I don’t pay attention to them. Our local rabbis have already warned my parents that I can no longer live in the community. But that’s not a problem because I’m in Israel! My family in Israel told me in no uncertain terms that going to the army is dangerous because it causes religious people to lose their faith. Personally, my faith is even stronger today.”
“A few weeks ago, I went to Bnei Brak in my uniform and everyone looked at me as if I was from Mars,” says Hava. “People react more strongly here than they do in New Jersey. But there are lots of good people here too – it’s just different.”
13-Hour Guard
Hava’s position in the army is not easy. She works a 13-hour shift without a break, sitting in a room full of screens and telephones and co-ordinating forces on the ground. They must know at all times where the soldiers are, if a soldier has been injured or if the area’s observation posts have recorded anything suspicious. This is the unit that in July 2006 was the first to know that Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser had been kidnapped.
Sargeants 1st Class Ehud “Udi” Goldwasser (right) and Eldad Regev (left)
Shabbat
Because soldiers’ lives are at stake, Hava’s job requires her to work on Shabbat. “Although it’s difficult for me, I do it because I have to. My parents understand,” she says. “There are other religious soldiers who taught me how to adapt – I only answer the phone if it’s really important, and I write things down only if there is a real need to do so.
In the States, we have traditional Shabbat meal at home every week. When I’m on base, they give me time to prepare for Shabbat. We made kiddush especially for me in the war room. They even put their berets on their heads especially for me.”
“We have a really special atmosphere here,” says Hava. “The work is difficult but very satisfying.” She couldn’t imagine, she says, doing anything else.
More IDF News:
No Surprises: Preparing For Israel’s Enemies
Israel’s enemies are constantly becoming more advanced and finding new ways to surprise the IDF in deadly ways. That is why last month, officers from the Nahal Brigade were given a chance to train in a variety of unusual situations, all with the goal of minimizing the element of surprise when the battlefield becomes a reality.
Officers from the Nahal Brigade’s began a week-long exercise on the shores of Acre, a coastal city in Israel’s north west. For seven days, platoon commanders traversed the country while engaging in intensive training in urban warfare, explosives, Krav Maga (Israeli hand-to-hand combat), weapons and artillery, battle leadership, operation planning, squad-level work and stealth. After a full week of exercises, which included several all-night sessions, the teams ended up on the opposite side of the country – on the beaches of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee).
The more unusual the training, the better the soldiers will be on the battlefield.
Major Alon Dan, the officer responsible for the unique training, said the route the platoon commanders follow is similar to the popular sea-to-sea hiking trail but with a few special differences. Their route is less scenic than the hikers’ trail but takes them through places that are far more similar to the uncommon types of areas these soldiers might have to fight in.
The officers perfect how to defend themselves with their bare hands.
He described how the groups were composed of platoon commanders from different battalions in order to maximize their effectiveness on the battlefield. “We intentionally make mixed groups from all the battalions. They stay in these groups for the course of the week so they can get to know each other well because there is no doubt they will meet in the field during war,” explained Maj. Dan.
Groups of Nahal Brigade officers training together in new groups for the length of the week.
Exercises like these are part of Nahal’s plan to change the IDF’s usual schedule for combat soldiers, which alternates between four months of pure training and four months of routine security duty. Nahal’s goal is to incorporate training into routine security duty. “Right now,the whole brigade is on duty in the north, in the rocky terrain of Mount Hermon. While on duty there, each company is participating in exercises in navigation, urban warfare and shrubland combat,” Maj. Dan said.
The next training session of this type is expected to take place at the end of October.
Source: Pazam.
IDF Supreme Values: Love of the Homeland and Loyalty to the Country
“At the core of service in the IDF stand the love of the homeland and the commitment and devotion to the State of Israel – a democratic state that serves as a national home for the Jewish People – its citizens and residents.”
Instilled in every soldier’s service in the IDF are three fundamental values, one of which is ‘Love of the Homeland and Loyalty to the Country’. This value, as relevant today as ever, asserts the Jewish people’s devotion to the State of Israel and to its defense.
One of the most prominent characteristics of the State of Israel is its diversity. This characteristic stands true in the IDF as well. Our homeland consists of a unique medley of citizens, including immigrants from the United States to Europe to Latin America to Asia, and native born Israelis of all stripes. Despite this diversity, one commonality continues to hold true: the Jewish people’s loyalty to defend the State of Israel by enlisting in the IDF.
Loyalty to the Country: Israelis’ duty to serve
The majority of 18-year-old Israelis stand by the country through their desire to defend and protect their homeland. There are countless stories, from a 19-year old explosives expert to a female IDF combat commander who continued to serve while pregnant. Israelis proudly continue to put their lives on hold and, at age 18, go against the grain to enlist and defend their country.
Love of the Homeland: a value that breaks boundaries
Love of Israel is not limited to Jews. The dedication of non-Jewish soldiers in the IDF proves that the desire to defend is not a matter of religion. Meet Rene Elhozayel, the IDF’s first ever Swiss Bedouin medic, who hopes to use his experience in the IDF to become a doctor. Or Ibrahim, a Bedouin soldier who enlisted against his father’s wishes. Or brothers Milad and Muhammad Atrash, Arab Muslims from the Galilee who volunteered to serve in the IDF.
Ibrahim, the Bedouin soldier who enlisted against his father’s wishes
The IDF continues to see a high level of voluntary enlistment on a yearly basis. There are 800-1,000 foreign lone soldiers entering the military every year. These new recruits, some with no familial ties to Israel and very little personal connection to the country itself, insist that they too feel the sense of purpose to defend Israel. They do not take their responsibility lightly, often specifically volunteering for the IDF’s toughest units.
This value remains a big reason that the IDF is one of the most diverse and tolerant militaries in the world – as Jews and non-Jews from all around the world come together in defense of the State of Israel. When it comes describing to the sense of loyalty that encourages people from around the world to put their lives on hold and volunteer for the IDF, Lt. Nira Lee, lone soldier from Arizona, says it best: “My best friend in the army is Druze, and somehow he understands me better than anyone, and that’s the amazing thing about the army,” she said.
“We grew up on opposite sides of the world, celebrating different holidays, speaking different languages, and eating different foods. There are so many differences and yet when we’re together none of that stuff matters. It’s ironic, but it’s beautiful and it shows a lot about Israel and the IDF.”
IDF Supreme Values: Human Life and Dignity
All human lives are worth saving – so the IDF teaches its soldiers. Israeli and Palestinian, Jew and non-Jew, soldier and civilian, in Israel and across the world. It doesn’t matter. When there is a person in need, the IDF will be there. Whether they are needed to provide emergency medical care, perform a daring rescue operation or evacuate survivors from under the rubble of a collapsed building – our soldiers will drop everything in order to save a life.
Why? The IDF’s code of ethics holds protecting human life and dignity as a supreme value. In the words of Sgt. Idan Ducach, who donated his bone marrow to save a young boy’s life, “if you save one life, its as if you saved an entire world.”
Read on to discover the true meaning of the Israeli Army’s values.
Distance is no obstacle
The Israeli Army’s Home Front Command is constantly preparing for scenarios in which it will be called upon to rescue Israeli citizens caught in disaster zones – whether they are natural or the result of enemy rocket fire.
IDF search and rescue soldier works through the rubble.
But the IDF does not stop at Israelis when it comes to rescue missions. Search and rescue forces and expert medical troops have been sent by the IDF on humanitarian missions following natural disasters in the four corners of the globe. Emergency teams were sent to Haiti, Turkey, India, Mexico, Ghana and Japan among others.
In the past two decades of foreign aid missions, Israeli medical personnel have saved more hundreds of people from certain death, provided medical care to thousands of injured patients and delivered more than 47 babies in field hospitals. All Israeli delegations partnered with local and foreign medical teams in their efforts to save lives.
For the IDF, every human life is worth saving
Every year, teams from the IDF Medical Corps provide vital treatment to many thousands of Palestinians in need. In June 2013, a young Palestinian man was hit by a car near Nablus. IDF medical officers arrived on the scene to help.
“Whenever we are called to an accident, we don’t consider whether it was an Israeli or Palestinian man who was injured. We never discriminate between the two,” said IDF paramedic 2nd Lt. Shir Schlosser. “When you’re there, you only see the injured person; you don’t pay attention to what’s around you.”
IDF and Palestinian medics work together to save injured man.
Earlier this year, IDF medical workers managed to save the life of a week-old Gazan infant born with a congenital heart defect. The team provided emergency care, stabilizing the infant’s condition and transporting him into Israel for further care. The incident was hardly unique.
Last year alone IDF medical teams provided emergency care to 1,500 Palestinians in Judea and Samaria.
“The importance of coordination in the medical field trumps all other factors.” Colonel Dr. Albukerk, Chief Medical Officer for the IDF Central Command
Defending the innocent, no matter the cost
In time of war, Israel places the highest value on protecting civilian lives – those of its own and the enemy’s.
The IDF’s Air Defense Command operates an advanced multi-tier missile defense system around round the clock to keep the skies above the citizens of Israel free from the threat of enemy rocket fire.
Archive photo: Iron Dome Battery intercepts rocket
Members of the IDF are trained to do everything in their power to protect civilian lives during combat, even when it means aborting vital missions.
Historic Moment: Yitzhak Pundak Rises to Rank of Major General at Age 100
Yitzhak Pundak, who served as a senior officer during the 1948 War of Independence, is the first person to rise to the rank of Major General after having completed active service. This is a “unique and precedent-setting moment,” said Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz at the ceremony.
By the time most Israelis pass the age for mandatory reserve duty, they expect their personal dealings with the IDF to be long over. Not so for Yitzhak Pundak, who this week was awarded the rank of Major General at the age of 100. Only the Chief of Staff himself holds a higher rank.
Maj. Gen. Pundak commanded the southern front during the War of Independence. After the war, he commanded the Nahal Brigade, and in 1953 was appointed to command the Armored Corps. In 1971 Pundak was called back to military service by then-Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, and was appointed Governor of the Gaza region at the rank of Brigadier General.
In 1954, Dayan, who was Chief of the General Staff at the time, decided to promote Pundak to the rank of Major General, but this promise was never realized. But this week, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz righted a historic wrong and promoted Pundak, now 100 years old, to the rank he had been promised.
Lt. Gen. Gantz said at the ceremony that “Yitzhak’s tremendous legacy has guided us over the years. I feel that this is a unique and precedent-setting event, expressing appreciation and gratitude towards you and your activities. I’m glad that I was able to do what is right and promote you to Major General. This is an exciting moment for you, for your family and for the IDF.”
