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Dateline Jerusalem — I just read an article that was published in the Jerusalem Post, one of the major newspapers in Israel.
The topic was the patriotism of Israelis. The statistics were a result of a recent survey. The conclusion was that Israelis remain proud and patriotic in spite of all they have to deal with by living in Israel.
After reading the article, I felt proud to be a part of this cohesive nation.
Unlike the United States where the military draft is voluntary, in Israel young men and women are drafted into the Israeli Defense Forces. They have no choice. They go straight from high graduation to boot camp graduation.
University studies normally do not even begin until after the military commitment is completed. Yet, in spite of the delay, Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to population in the world!
It is not unusual to see train and busloads of young soldiers carrying rifles and backpacks or dancing at discotheques with those same rifles on their shoulders.
Integral Part of the Fabric
The military is part of the daily life here in Israel.
They are usually the first to respond when there is a terrorist attack against Israeli civilians. They kill the terrorists before the police even arrive at the scene. To see these young men and women in uniform everywhere you go on Israeli streets is very comforting to me.
It is also very special when I see them praying in uniform at the Kotel, the Western Wall, the last remnant remaining of the Holy Temple.
Every unit has a different color beret worn on their head or neatly folded under an epaulet on their shoulder, with their particular unit’s patch on their sleeve. Even the color of one’s boots distinguish a paratrooper, for example, from a tank soldier.
But no matter what unit or what branch of the armed forces, they all have something in common…protecting tiny Israel against its many enemies. And although these young men and women do not volunteer for military service, 92 percent say they would actively engage in a military battle for Israel.
The Feeling Is Overwhelming
There were other interesting statistics of the survey. Despite the threats to Israel's very existence that it faces from its hostile neighbors on a daily basis, and despite the fact that Iran has threatened Israel with nuclear weapons, 87 percent of those polled said they would prefer to be Israeli citizens than citizens of any other country, and 86 percent even prefer living in Israel than in any other country.
The last statistic is of significance because after Israeli soldiers finish their military duties, they usually take off six months to one year, traveling the world before they return to Israel to begin university study. To travel and see the world, and still want to return to Israel, speaks volumes about the greatness of this little country and the people who make up its population.
L'hitraot. Shachar
Shachar is the Hebrew name of a California-based attorney and former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy who moved to Israel last year.
