Makim!

Who would've believed it? After everything I may have said in the previous blog, last Wednesday I was officially accepted into commanders' course and successfully started 'makim', which is what we soldiers call the course. So, for the next three and a bit months, I will be based on this army base in the south, where I will learn how to be a class commander of a combat brigade in the IDF.

It's still quite unbelievable for me to think that I have actually gone to makim. Doing commanders' course has always been something that I was interested in doing but it never seemed like a realistic outcome for a number of reasons; including the fact that I am only doing a two and a half year service and also because I am generally a lazy soldier and not particularly suited for makim. However, I packed my bags and arrived to the new base last week, and am absolutely thrilled to be starting this new and exciting part of my army service. Before leaving the preparation for makim at the tzanchanim training base, a number of high ranking officers came to speak to us about the journey we are about to start. For some of those going to mkaim now, it could be the start of a long army career (for me, two and a half years is more than enough!) and going to makim is the first line of 'tafkid' (having a position in the army). That's why makim is quite a big deal as it is the initial stepping stone in qualifying the next generation of those who will lead our army in the coming years. This is what those who spoke to us tried to drill into our minds; that someone needs to take over the reigns of the army when this generation of officers retire. Personally, I haven't and won't ever consider making a career out of the army, despite that an army career gives you a degree, good pay and, most importantly, a meaningful line of work, but there are those who are with me now in makim, who may be the next head of Tzanchanim or Golani. For me however, I just want something different with my life but it is still an absolute honour that I have been chosen to go to commanders' course as part of the service I am giving to the army.

Being in commanders; course means I need to wear a new shoulder tag... It's definitely much uglier than the tzanchanim one!


So the day I had been waiting for arrived and we were sent to the base for makim, in order to see if we would be going to the course. To my absolute shock, my name was called out, as opposed to a couple of others who were not accepted. The reason why I got in was probably down to my fairly good performance during the whole of the preparation course and that being a lone soldier always has a good effect on everything! So I got to my new base and like it normally is when you arrive to somewhere new and strange, the first day is kind of depressing, since you don't know where anything is and don't know anyone either. In the first couple of days of the course I was like a walking frown, missing my friends in Gaza and the life of kav in general. The biggest thing was probably the shock in the change of conditions; from being in a nice, heated room with six of my friends, where I had my own personal space and wardrobe, to being in a wet tent with 16(!) strangers, with no personal space whatsoever. Like all things though, I got used to it quickly and being in tents for the next three months will definitely be an experience. The 16 "strangers" are now good friends and I will get to that in a bit...

The course itself is ok, the biggest annoyance is that it is very much like a "rosh shel tironut" (basic training thinking) i.e. lots of standing on time and inspections, something that I haven't done in nearly a year. Whereas most of the guys have just come out of adavanced training (Aug '10) and are babies in the army without any experience in the gdud, I am a year and a half in the army already with six months of kav Gaza under belt. This is another reason why it was surprising that I got into makim, as they usually don't send guys as old as me (army old as opposed to age) into commanders' course. I have got used to the basic training feel of the course already and understand that the reason it is like that is because a lot of these guys will end up being commanders of basic training themselves. I won't go into too much detail of what we learn during the duration of the course as some of it is beyond public knowledge, but I will try and let you know what the course entails on a basic level. This week was mainly an introduction to the course and the entrance exam consisted of a written, shooting and fitness test, where I managed to secure a personal best of 7:40 seconds in the 2km run. We also had a lot of lessons this week, some of which I can't talk about and other stuff; where we learnt about how to be a commander on a day-to-day basis, dealing with you're soldiers' problems, teaching them lessons and passsing health & saftey procedures. This week was also Purim, which was one hell of an experience, as you'll see in the video at the end...

Being in a tent is horrible...


The best part of makim, without a shadow of a doubt, is that it combines soldiers from all over the army. The commanders' course is for all infantry soldiers, so in my 'tsevet' (team) there are guys from the five regular infantry brigades (Tzanchanim, Golani, Givati, Nachal and Kfir), as well as one from the Druzi unit and one from the Bedouin unit. This means that each tsevet is a real melting pot of soldiers from all the different units in the army and results in, what can only be described as constant banter, jokes and friendly rivalry between the units. Each one is totally loyal to their own brigade and this results in 24/7 arguments about who is better, who had a harder 'shavua milhama' (war week) or whose 'kumta' (beret) has the nicest colour, to name but just a few. As an extremely loyal tzanchan, I know that for most of these things tzanchanim is far superior, but then again the Nachal guy thinks the same about his brigade. The difference however, is that we are actually the best and everyone secretly knows it but is too proud of his own brigade to admit it!! All in all, it leads to hilarious conversations normally ending up in everyone ganging up on tzanchanim. They're all just so jealous of us paratroopers!!! As stereotypes go, each brigade is known for something else, but we all know stereotypes can be very misleading. In saying this, however, I have to admit that in some cases and more often than the average, the stereotypes can be true! Anyone who has a specific affiliation to one of the different units should not get offended here, merely this is all just part of the friendly banter that I have been subjected to for the last couple of weeks. Golani, are either non-disciplined, loud and sefardi, or they are religious. Givati, are hard-working and in shape, but their brigade has no resources so their army stuff is kind of rubbish. Nachal, are good, honest guys but there are also those who are laid back and too relaxed. Kfir's quality of soldiers are defintely lower than the other brigades (!) with a lot of the soldiers' profiles being extreme (too tall, short or fat) but it has to be said that they are hilarious guys!!! And what about tzanchanim. Stuck-up, don't break the rules, ashkenazi, think and know that we are the best. This whole stereotype rant is all done in a very harmless way and it shouldn't influence anyone on where they want to go in the army.

From left to right the range of different kumtot in makim: Tzanchanim (red), Nachal (green), Druzi unit (black), Golani (brown), Kfir (camoflauge) and Givati (purple).


As I said, none of this truly represents the different brigades and they are all good soldiers in their own special way. It's just fun to joke about all the other brigades and despite how much we all love our own unit, it is very interesting to see what goes on over at the other side, so to speak. I think that explains why we wear each others berets at every opportunity possible. The differences just help to define each brigade in their own special way and this is continued to the level of the differnet 'gdudim' (batallions), 'plugot' (companies) and even 'mahlakot' (platoons). The guys in my mahlaka are absolute kings and I have already got close to a good number of them. I've never had problems with making friends while in the army (something I was actually very afraid of when first drafting, as you'll see in the earlier blogs). but this time it's even more special to make friends, as these guys have had a slightly different army experience to me. They are all interested to hear my story; first of all to hear about my time in Gaza but generally to hear about my aliyah journeyand my life back in London. I can already say that some of the guys in my tsevet are good mates and am looking forward to reunite with them tomorrow.

This year for Purim I dressed up as... a Givati soldier!!!


I think it's suitable to mention something about what's going on here in Israel. If you've read the news (although some networks like to ignore the problems of the Israelis and concentrate on other things), then you'll know that there have been a barrage of rockets from Gaza, an explosion in Jerusalem and a massacre in a settlement called Itamar, all in the last fortnight. I don't know what's going to happen here but the awareness of the country and the urgency and emergency levels of the army have defnitely increased. I hope a war will not happen but it is fitting that at this point in Israel's current situation that I should be going to makim. Essentially, the point of going to makim is not to be a commander of basic training, punishing your soldiers with press-ups, instead it is to lead a class of soldiers into battle, As vicious as it sounds that is something that is instilled into the course, in order for us to be prepared for the fact that if a war were to break out at any time in the future, then class commanders are the first line of leadership in combat. Since starting makim, I have come to realise that this style of thinking is not exclusive to commanders' course alone. The whole army is set up and routined in the way it is because in the event of an attack on Israel, the army needs to be 100% ready to deal with our enemies. We are surrounded by countries and terrorist organisations who want to kill every Jew living in Israel and destroy everything we have spent building in the last 63 years. As much as the army can be a fun experience where you gain friends and do stuff that has no connection to war whatsoever, the reason why we have an army is solely because we have to be on constant alert from the threat of terror and war. You can be a cook in the army for three years and never even touch a gun, but it is still important to remember that each aspect of the army is there because of the role it plays in the bigger picture: the defence of our homeland. I never like the blog to have a political edge to it but due to the current atmosphere here in Israel, I felt it was important to mention.

Back to the army tomorrow for another two weeks of makim, I will be sure to post again when I am next out and will carry on telling my story. I want to dedicate this blog to the families of those who were injured in the Jerusalem bomb and to the Fogal family, who were inhumanely massacred in their home in Itamar. Until next time...

Dancing at Purim...

Feeling the competition

This weekend marked the fourth seminar of my garin; a reunion that I have with all the lone soldiers with whom I lived with (and continue to live with) on Kibbutz Ortal. This seminar has been more significant for me than the previous ones, mainly because I have been doing kav Gaza for the last five months, closing nearly a month at a time and, therefore, not seeing some of my friends since the last seminar...

For the last two weeks, I have been based at the Tzanchanim training base, taking part in the preparation for commanders' course. All in all, it has been a fun, but exhausting fortnight, and one where the outcome is still to be decided, as tomorrow I will know whether or not I will be going to commanders' course. In all honesty, it is unlikely that I will be going to 'makim' (commanders' course). As my mum said, I have said this sort of stuff before, for example after the tzanchanim gibush, but this time it is definitely different. I have been sent to the preparation for makim, on a conditional basis, i.e. if anyone else screws up, I would be taking their place. On top of this, I'm fairly 'vatik' (veteran) compared to the rest of the people there, and it is the norm to send people to makim as early as possible in their service. The only way for me to have any chance of going, is if my grades from the last two weeks (a combination of scores from the fitness test, navigations, shooting and, most importantly, a written test on just about everything connected to the army) are exceptional, which I can tell you now, are not that great. Whatever happens, it has been a great experience in this preparation and has given me an idea of the competition and professionalism that is vital in becoming qualified to be a 'mefaked' (commander).

Mucking around on the radio with my lone soldier friend from Canada, just before a navigation starts.

As I said, I actually had a fun couple of weeks in the army, mainly due to (as it always is) the people I was with. I was in a class with 12 other guys, all from tzanchanim, who had all been sent to the preparation course with the intention of them becoming commanders once they have finished the course. It was a real mix of guys; there were soldiers from all the batallions of tzanchanim (101, 202 and 890) and from a range of different draft dates, from November '09 (yours truly) to the very 'fresh' August '10, who received their red berets a mere fortnight ago. I made quick friendsips with a lot of them and, as it always seems to happen since I'm that lone soldier from London who is always speaking English, I became known by everyone in the course. Being one of the oldest ones there, meant that I was able to strutt my 'pazam' (time done in the army) around and use it to my advantage, sort of like how schoolkids do to those in younger years! This was definitely a new experience for me, especially since in the gdud, we are youngest draft and are constantly made to realise it through things like kitchen duty. Apart from the fun of being amongst the older soldiers there (by the way, 'older' doesn't necessarily mean age in the army, as not everyone drafts when they are 18, due to various different reasons, for example I am actually older than my officer in the gdud!!!), it was also cool to tell these guys stories from gaza and what it is like be in the gdud and do something real, as opposed to training. The guys I'm with are all real stars and it just shows the level of quality that those who go to makim, normally have.

Quickly going over the route of the next navigation.


It was not all fun and games though. For the first week we did navigation, which I had done only about month ago. In that sense it was good, since I was one step ahead everyone else (the whole course is rather competetive) and my navigations were all successful. However, I am now a bit sick of navigation in general, despite it being one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things in the army, and especially sick of carrying that f***ing 15kg radio on my back over hills upon hills, for 12km every night! The second week consisted of lessons from morning 'till night, on all the material we learn about as a soldier and as a commander. For me of course, this is twice as hard, not only to concentrate in Hebrew in a classroom for 13 hours a day, but also because the language itself is not your usual street-slang, which I can half-handle, instead it's technical words that even the Israelis were struggling with! Being back at the Tzanchanim training base and having long, full days, felt like I was back in basic training, which made me realise how much I miss the 'old days' and that even when I was being forced to stand on time and was being discplined in every aspect possible, I was and always have had a cracking time in the army. I am, without a doubt, a big 'mor'al' (someone who loves the army), which is normally used in an insulting way, but I don't care!!!

That's what a week of navigation does to you...


Everything was made so much sweeter by the fact that football results have gone my way in the last couple of weeks. I saw Arsenal drop out of three competitions, while my team, Tottenham, have made it through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time ever. The whole course definitely knew about this information as I have not stopped talking about it for the last week and that when everyone was in the classrooms during personal revision time, I was in the tuck shop watching the Spurs game on television! To top everything off, it has also been an amazing weekend here with my garin. It's so fantastic to spend some time with the guys who I still consider my first real family here in Israel and we had a good laugh this weekend in the North.

Garin Bazelet - a year and a half since we made aliyah!


So tomorrow is D-Day for me. Either I get accepted into commanders' course or I return to my company on the kav. I think I have made myself clear as to how much I want to go to 'makim' but I know that there is a high possibility that it won't happen and I need to be prepared for that. I am probably closing next weekend whatever happens, so happy Purim to you all, try not to get too drunk!!!

Sgt. Sank

What a crazy couple days I have had; all leading to me sitting back here in my room in my kibbutz, Ortal, at the start of ANOTHER regila! Yes, that's right, despite only going back to the army on Thursday, following a week's long 'regila' (holiday from the army for kravi soldiers), I was in the army approximately 48 hours before I was sent on another week's holiday!!! I will explain, as we go along...

First of all, let's start with the 'regila' that I just had, it really was a great one. I managed to see all my friends; both from my garin and guys from the platoon, as well as spending some time on the kibbutz. The highlight of the regila was probably the incredible football match where Spurs beat Milan away in the Champions League, but in general, it was a nice break from the army and I relaxed in the days and partied pretty hard in the nights. Right in the middle of my regila, I was called by the army to go to this special event in Jerusalem. The tzanchanim brigade sent a small group of soldiers (mainly officers), supposedly the "best of the brigade", to a boarding school near Jerusalem where we talked to students about their upcoming draft and how important it is to do a meaningful army service. I was obviously picked to go because of my story and when I introduced myself to all the students as a "lone soldier from London", the spotlight was immediately upon me and they were all asking the usual questions. As much as I was annoyed to give up a day of my holiday, it was definitely a worthy cause and a highly enjoyable experience to be with all these high ranking officers; including the commander of the whole brigade and the commmander of the training base, the latter of whom I am now on first name terms with!!!

Watching the Spurs game on the kibbutz - pure pride.

Another thing that happened recently was my change of ranks. I went from being a 'rabat' (corporal) to a 'samal' (sergeant). My rank changed because of the amount of time I have been in the army; all boys become sergeants after completing a year and four months of their service. So although I haven't actually done something to achieve this increase of rank, it does mean that I get to put the three stripes (which represents being a 'samal') on my aleph uniform, the uniform I wear when travelling to/from the army and for formal events. I found out, after reading about it on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant#Israel, that becoming a 'samal' also activates a 1.8 shekel increase in my army wage!! Putting the three stripes on my uniform is a very clear sign of being relatively veteran in the army and since I started my service before the rest of my army friends from November '09 draft (due to the fact that Garin Tzabar participants draft together in October), I am the only one in my platoon, apart from the commanders naturally, who has the priveledge of being a 'samal'!

Showing off my stripes!!!

As I do for every blog, I write down on my iPhone a brief outline of what I will write about in the upcoming post, as it is quite hard to rememeber exactly what happes over a period of seventeen days. Well, I had written a specific topic that I wanted to talk about in this blog but, as things turn out, ironically, it has become even more topical. I was going to talk about one particular thing that has been slowly annoying me in my army service. That thing is how it seems that every time I make a good friend in the army, he ends up leaving me and going to commanders' course. This happened a number of times already; with guys from both my original class on the training base and those who are with my now in the battalion, going off to commanders' course. I was never bothered about not going to 'makim' (commanders' course) as I was never much of a model soldier; staying behind to clean up or volunteering to do stuff was never really my style. I was kind of lazy and was happy to be a 'hapash' (simple soldier i.e. not a commander) for the whole of my service, as I have been very comfortable in the battalion and on the 'kav'. However (I think you can see what's coming here), the night before I went back to the army following my regila, my officer called me to tell me that I was going to 'makim'...

A couple of the guys from the 'erev mahlaka' (platoon evening) that we had on the regila. I had to say goodbye to them, as I left to 'makim' :(

For me this is a massive deal. As I said, I was never keen on going to 'makim'; content on staying a 'hapash' until the end as I have enjoyed being with my platoon and company so much. Another reason why 'makim' didn't suit me was that going to the course would mean giving up on a lot of the lone soldier rights that I take excellent advantage of, for example, taking two weeks off at Pesach when my parents come, is going to be highly unlikely if I am on the course, since every day is supposedly vital in becoming qualified. However, since being told that I would be going to 'makim', I have realised that it is an amazing opportunity and now I am desperate to go for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's another of the many experiences that I have thrived on doing throughout my whole army service; doing a three month course with guys from all the other infantry brigades (golani, givati etc) and learning how to be a commander is a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is also great for your C.V. once you leave the army; to say that you were a 'kravi' (combat) soldier in tzanchanim and completed commanders' course is surely a good way to sell oneself. The more that I have convinced myself that I would never go to 'makim', makes it even sweeter that I have actually been chosen and recommended by my own commanders and it gives more determination to go to the course and really try and do well. I can't tell you enough how happy I am to have been asked and, despite being slightly skeptical at first, am now 100% focused on doing this. However, nothing is definite yet, I am first doing three weeks of prepartion for 'makim' (hence, the reason for the regila) and only after the preparation, will I be evaluated if I am suitable to go to the course. Over the next couple of weeks, I will explain in more depth the procedure of this preparation, as well as what going to 'makim' means, in terms, of the rest of my service.

I am literally over the moon about the whole 'makim' thing and now just hope that everything goes well and I end up going to the course in around a months' time. So, I'm now on another regila (!) and plan to do pretty much the same as what I did in the last one. I will be sure to write another blog after the end of the first week of the preparation for 'makim' and will let you know about what happens...

Mr Navigator

Today is the first day of my week long 'regila', a not-often-enough holiday given to combat soldiers. It's a well-earned break from the four continous months of 'kav' Gaza that tzanchanim have completed so far, although for me personally, it is like a second holiday, following the two weeks off I had with my parents recently.

The 'sho'alim' (wolves) that is my platoon.


The '17' just gone was another really good one, mainly because I managed to go home for a weekend in the middle, as part of an extended day off to sort things out on the kibbutz. It all started with this special navigation course that I was sent to, which was done with the elite paratrooper unit. At first, despite being very interesting, I just couldn't understand the whole navigation thing. Learning about topography and reading maps is not really strength of mine, but by the middle of the week I had slowly started to get it and was succeeding in the navigations. For the final exercise, we had a 12km night navigation without maps (!) and without instructors. My partner managed to get us lost for three hours in his part of the route, but I succeeded in finding all the checkpoints in my half of the navigation (albeit by luckily stumbily onto one of them) and I was able to memorize my 6km half of the route; including distances, directions and a detailed description of the surroundings. By the end of the week I had been converted to actually enjoying it all and the thrill of being in the 'shetach' (open land) alone at night with just a compass and your memory to find your way, was rather exciting. Did I forget to mention the 12kg radio that I carried on my back the whole week because my partner is more of a veteran in the army than me by a mere four months? O ye, that bit was kind of hellish. Anyway, I can now say that I am able to navigate, a skill only taught to the upper echelons of the army; like officers and elite units.

Carrying food as part of company duties in the pouring rain - but still smiling!!!



For the navigation course, we were mainly based at the paratroopers' training base, where I was situated for the first eight months of my service; completing both basic and advanced training there. Going back there was such a fun experience; watching all the 'tironim' (soldiers in basic training) running around, standing for attention and getting punished is always fun once you know that you have "been there and done that". Walking around with the red beret is also a great feeling and made me feel very veteran, as the 'kumta' (beret) is like the Holy Grail for soldiers still on that base, a right that only those who have finished the dreaded masa have. So walking around the base made us feel pretty good about ourselves and reminded me what a long time has passed since it was me standing in line outside the dining room before entering for every meal. Being back on the base also meant meeting up with friends who are now commanders themselves, which is surreal to think how they were once doing press ups with me as punishment but are now the ones punishing their own soldiers with press ups!!!


One of the funniest moments of the 'kav' so far - the patrol car getting stuck in the mud!!!



Despite all the trouble going on in Egypt at the moment, the border with Gaza has, thankfully, been pretty quiet. Nonetheless, I did manage to fire my gun over the border for the first time, albeit warning shots, which was really cool. Also, I met the regiment commander, an extremely high ranking officer, who came to visit us on base. He actually took my place on the patrol, in order to check it all out, so me and him swapped places, in a kind of football-style substitution. It was a ridiculous situation; an officer with 40 more years of army experience and 9 ranks above me (he's a general - two ranks away from chief of staff - compared to my lowly rank of corporal) coming to switch me! I decided against giving him a slap on the back and wishing him "good luck"!! These two events from the latest '17' gave me a realization of the journey I have taken. Looking at where I am now and what I've done (in this last fortnight alone) just shows how unbelievable it all is. To think about what I would worry about two years ago; whether it be to finish an essay on time or stressing about a weekend arrangement and comparing it to what I have to deal with now, not just the whole Gaza thing, but living out here on my own as a lone soldier. Looking at what I'm doing now in comparison to my old life or to my friends in university is a point that I continue to bring up on the blog, thus showing its importasnce to me and something I am extremely proud of.

My new 'kat' (butt) for my gun, which adds to the bling that everyone desires...


As much as I was looking forward to my regila this week, I could definitely tell that my Israeli friends were much more excited than me, which made me realize something. As much as I love my kibbutz, I still don't have that true "home" feeling in Israel i.e. a place I can relate to, like my home in London. This doesn't mean I am unhappy in Israel, as you know that isn't true, it's just that spending my weekends living out of a bag is sometimes very frustrating. I have come to realize that I will only have that "homey" feeling once I have a place of my own out here, which will probably be once I have been released from the army. This living out of a bag and travelling long distances at weekends is simply part of the army experience and something I have got used to. So while my Israeli mates were looking forward to a week of waking up every morning at home, like being on half term from school, for me, it's more like an extended weekend. Saying this, I do love my weekends and am obviously happy to spend a week seeing friends, spending time with my girlfriend and being out of uniform!!!

The company's goldfishes!!!


Got to go now and enjoy my week of freedom! Will be sure to post another blog at the end of the next seventeen...

A near cycling nightmare

I'm starting to get a bit sick of the whole 17:4 thing, not that I was ever enjoying being home for only once a month, however, at the start of 'kav' it was a kind of new and interesting experience. The novelty has since worn off though, and despite never being happier in the army than I am now, I am ready to finish the 'kav' and start getting out of the army more than four days every month.

Coming back to the army after my two week holiday with my parents over the new year period was actually a lot easier than I had thought it would be. I received a warm welcome back from all my friends and commanders alike, which really meant a lot to me and shows that my newly formed friendships have really stuck. I didn't have much time to settle in though, because within half an hour of coming back I was already cleaning toilets as part of company duties!!!

Posing on base with my dog tags worn in the opposite direction - a sign showing I am halfway through my service!!!

The main thing that happened in this latest '17' was a very serious incident that occurred on the first Shabbat. Once again, I am not overstepping any boundaries here, mainly because this incident was so serious that it was well publicised worldwide, and I even got many facebook messages from friends back home, checking to see if I was OK. Two Friday nights ago, during an incident on the border, Nadav Rotenberg, a soldier from battalion 202, was killed. The fact that an Israeli soldier was killed is obviously a massive deal and it affected everyone immensely on base, and in Israel, in general. Without going into details of what exactly happened, I think it's vitally important to mention how terrible it is that a young boy has lost his life in the defence of our country and in the fight against those who want to destroy it. While some people will talk about the consequences of his death and what it means for the future of the current (relatively) peaceful border with Gaza, I think it's better to focus on what it means for his friends and family. The funeral, no doubt, was filled with many tzanchanim who served with him, who then went back to 'kav' with one man less. While the shivah has long since finished and his parents are slowly getting used to life without their son. It angers me to think that Israeli parents are still losing their sons, aged young as 19 and 20, all because there are those who can't accept that all we want is a land of our own. I never like this blog to be a political rant but sometimes I need to get across what I'm thinking.

Eating pizza with friends on base.

It was very difficult to explain to my mum (and now to you) why, despite that great tragedy, things carried on like normal almost immediately. Israel remembers and commemorates those who have passed away in the long struggle for our cause better than any other country in the world. I can give you countless examples of how I have personally experienced this since being in Israel; like how the army sends soldiers to the memorial days of every single soldier who has fallen in service, or the extreme solemness that is Holocaust memorial day. However, despite all this intense remembrance, Israel has developed a culture, whereby people are almost immune to tragedy, thus, explaining the 'tough' Israeli. This may because the suffering and tragedy of Jews has been common throughout history and, consequently, we have tragically become used to it. Or, which is what I think, the constant threat of our neighbours means that we are unable to stop for a minute and be sad, as the work of securing our borders safely for the citizens of Israel can never stop. This explains how even after everything that happened on that Friday night; on base, things just carried on like normal.

My Tottenham towel proudly hangs in my room on base.

It's hard to move away from a subject like that, but the '17', like I said, carried on as normal. In fact, it was one of the best 17s I have had so far, partly because I only did one full day of company duties and not one day in the kitchen!!! The day before we went home, we were scheduled to have a fun, bike ride for all the platoon. For those of you who don't know, for some reason I have never successfully learnt how to ride a bicycle and I then had to embarrassingly explain this in front of my whole platoon. My platoon commander said "it'll be fine", a common response in the army to any sort of problem, however, by the end of the day the whole company knew of my incapability to ride a bike, and I even had the deputy company commander offering to teach me!!! In the end, the bike ride got cancelled and we played football instead, so I got away with it...

I am back in the army on Sunday; the reason why my four days home has been cut down to three is rather interesting though. I have been chosen to do a special course of navigation, with elite paratroopers. The reason why I am doing this is because my platoon commander wants me to be his spearhead sharpshooter (even I have to admit how cool that sounds), so it should be a very interesting week. Until next time...

Touching the Wall

Today I said another goodbye to both my parents and grandparents. As hard as it was to leave my parents once again, in comparison to previous farewells we actually coped fairly well. Knowing that I will see them again in 16 weeks, when they come out here for Pesach, encourages me a lot and will give me something to look forward to. I am now organising my things back on my kibbutz, as I return to Gaza tomorrow and start another 17...

What an amazing holiday I have just had. For the past fortnight I was with my family in Tel Aviv and I definitely took full advantage of my two weeks away from the 'kav'; staying in a hotel and going out every night is a stark contrast to kitchen duty! After not seeing my close family since the summer when I was back home, it was obviously really incredible to spend such a long period of time with them and we really used the time well to catch up and just enjoy being with each other. In addition to all the quality family time, I also partied very hard and have definitely exceeded my alcohol and food intake levels for the entire year!! Unusually, this time off felt more like a holiday from the army than my month back in London did! I think this is because by being in Tel Aviv with my family, I still felt relatively close to the army; seeing soldiers on the street, speaking to army friends on the phone and reading things about Gaza in the news, however, I still was most definitely on holiday. Even though I feel a bit depressed about leaving my family and how it is going to be extremely hard to get back into the routine of the army and of 'kav', it was all so worth it and I have truly had the best two weeks for a long, long time.

Tucking into one of the many steaks that I ate!!!

It was definitely a holiday to remember. I saw everyone I wanted to see; from friends I have in Tel Aviv to others who had played a big part in my aliyah experience. It was also great to be back with my daddy, who I have a special relationship with. Making him laugh by telling him funny stories from the army and explaining to him the complexities of the army culture, like the differences between all the units, certainly made this holiday enjoyable for him. While in Tel Aviv, I realised that, when seeing soldiers walking home on a midweek night that I could never be a jobnik. I have nothing against jobniks (non-combat soldiers) as every role in the army is vital and when one fails, the whole army would fail. However, maybe it's because I am a lone soldier, but I would never dream of giving up my place as a combat soldier. Even though we have it the hardest; forget the physical stuff, I'm talking about not going home, having bad conditions and not sleeping, we are the ones who are strong enough to deal with that lifestyle and still carry on and continue giving to this country. During this holiday, I also experienced that zionistic inspiration that always reminds me why I am here. On one instance, I was walking down Ben-Yehuda, a prominent street in Tel Aviv, when I was asked to help make a minyan for the evening prayer service. I decided to say yes and I ended up praying like I havent done in years and that is what Israel is all about; not the religious aspect (although I do think that's important) but the fact that everyone is Jewish.

Meeting up with cousins.

While I was on holiday, a new year started, 2011, and it made me think back to the year that has just passed me. For me, 2010, was obviously all about the army and was my first full year in my service. From January to December I was an enlisted soldier and, despite having many weekends off and some special lone soldier holidays, I was in the army for days on end. Looking back, it all started with a swearing-in ceremony at the Kotel, where I proudly stood in front of my parents and grandparents and pronounced my loyalty to the Israeli army and the state of Israel. Training continued into the early months of the year, which was filled by weeks in the shetach, a couple of interesting weekends in Hebron, a memorable helicopter ride and my training as a sharpshooter. Around the time when basic training finished, my parents came for Pesach and I once again spent time with them in Tel Aviv. Following Pesach, I started advanced training and the hard, exhausting and endless weeks of shetach continued. There was a two-week break from all the shetach, when we completed jump school, parachuted five times and received wings for our uniform. The end of advanced training came close and our last week of shetach, war week, concluded our time on the Paratroopers' training base. Then came the masa kumta, one of the hardest physical challenges of my life, let alone the year, and I finally received my red beret! My parents surprising me at the tekes was by far the best moment of the year and something I will never ever forget. I had two months of training in the Golan heights, before I went home for a month, the first and only time I have been back since making aliyah. Following the temporary depression of coming back to Israel, I finished my 'maslool' and received my fighter's pin (from my legendary platoon commander). Since, I joined a new platoon and a new company in the battalion, and for the rest of the year I started and am currently doing 'kav' Gaza.

With my papa at the kotel.

Wow, that was breathless! I have definitely achieved a lot, as well as experiencing things I would never have dreamed of doing if I hadn't taken this amazing journey. Reminiscing about 2010 really does show how much I actually have done in a year and this is only regarding my army service, I haven't even mentioned the countless weekends with my garin, where we blowed of some much needed steam from the army. It has been a long year, thinking about that swearing-in ceremony in Jerusalem seems a very long time ago and to think how much I have advanced as a soldier, both in terms of training, experience and qualification (and how much better my uniform looks now, with all the pins and the beret) is astonishing. Now to 2011, my last full year of being in the army. The length and difficulty of the previous year does make me worried that this year, a year of multiple 'kavs', will be even harder. Although nothing will ever compare to the difficulty of masaot and things like that, this year will probably be harder because of being home less and putting in more hours so to speak. On January the 13th, a weeks time, I will be "touching the wall", which means I have completed exactly half of my service. That is hard to swallow as it is scary to think how I've got to do it all over again...

So I am back to routine tomorrow and starting another 17. As much as it will be hard to go back because of my time off, I am excited to see my friends again and get back into the thick of things. On my next exit, I'll write another blog, updating you on everything that happens in this '17'. I do hope this blog continues to interest and inspire those of you who read it and I do really appreciate all the feedback that you give. A happy and healthy new year to you all...

Braving the weather

After completing twenty consecutive days in the army (instead of the usual seventeen; I'll explain later), I can finally look forward to spending a little over two weeks with my parents and grandparents in Tel Aviv, over the New Year period.

As I just mentioned, we just did a '20', rather than a '17', the reasons of which I'll get on to later on in the blog. Twenty days. That's the longest amount of time I've ever spent in the army without going home and it definitely felt like it, especially since we spent three consecutive weekends on base. Despite only being on base three more days than what we normally have to endure, the difference was undoubtedly noticeable; mainly because of the extra Shabbat on base. Looking back to the start of '20' feels like reminiscing on years gone by, but here goes...

The '20' started with a trip to the Palmach museum, which is dedicated to the memory of those who fought and gave their lives while fighting for the pre-IDF, pre-1948, 'army' of the Jewish people in Israel. Speaking to a surviving soldier of the Palmach, now an old man, really put things into perspective for us young soldiers, as well as reminding me what an incredible miracle it was for Israel to survive its early years. The first night on base after being home (normally a very depressing time) turned out to be a really great evening, as there was a live showing of El Classico, the football match between Barcelona and Real Madrid, on a projector screen in the company area. For Barca-mad Israelis, this game was a must-see and I thought it was simply amazing to think how a whole fighting company from the paratroopers' brigade had gathered round to watch the match, with the Gazan border 'just around the corner'. Even those who returned from a patrol mid-match, immediately sat down and joined in with everyone else, despite being all geared in combat vests and helmets!!!

The last night of the '20'; going home celebrations.

Closing twenty days is such a long time that I have almost forgotten how Chanukah came and went during the time I was on base. Initially, I was annoyed to be closing for the whole of Chanukah, since it is one of my more favoured Jewish festivals, but I soon learnt that there aren't many more better places to celebrate Chanukah than in the army. Nearly every night, groups of religious guys would come to the company to light candles with us, say the prayers and give us doughnuts. Wow, did we eat doughnuts alright. I'm surprised I haven't been diagnosed with some kind of stomach disease after this '20', I must have averaged around 5 or 6 doughnuts a day! Seriously though, Chanukah felt very meaningful in the army and there were some special events arranged during the festival, like the company-Chanukah-steak-night-thing, where we also recieved some brand new fleeces. The big night, however, was first night Chanukah, as the whole gdud (batallion) came together to light the candles. The real reason for the big effort, however, was the visiting guest who came especially to light the candles, the defence minister, Ehud Barak. Obviously, I was intrigued to see him in person and honoured to meet someone who has contributed a lot to Israel. My Israeli friends, on the other hand, found it weird that I was excited to see and hear from a politican, typical Israelis. However, my excitement soon turned to disappointment as some of us were jumped to the border to deal with an incident and I missed seeing him completely. That's just the way it goes sometimes in the army. Whether it's missing a friend's birthday because you're closing shabbat or missing out croissants in the dining room because you're gurading; you just get used to it. By the way, the race to eat the limited number of croissants served at breakfast, if you happen to be awake or even on base, has now become part of our daily routine!!!

Even when on kitch duty, I still celebrated Chanukah. Here in the dining room, the Chanukiah proudly stands over the yoghurts!

The biggest thing that happened during this '20' was, without a doubt, an incident on the border last Saturday night. It was such a big deal that it quickly became news on the television the very same night and in all the newspapers the next day. Now I'm not overstepping borders of what I'm forbidden to say on the blog, as the incident has been made public, however, there are some (even major) details that have been held back, of which I won't be delving into. Those of you who regularly keep up to date with news in Israel will probably have heard about what happened, but for those who didn't, I'll briefly explain. The sighting of two terrorists near the border was followed by those terrorists being killed, as well as one of our soldiers, a tzanchan from batallion 202, being shot and wounded. Although I wasn't directly involved in the incident, I did happen to be there when it all happened and pretty much saw everything. A soldier getting shot is a rare occurance, in comparison to the more common killings of terrorists, so this just elevated the whole event. Afterwards, my platoon area became a mad-house of telephone calls from worried parents who had seen on the news the headline, "paratroopper shot in Northern Gaza". I contacted those close to me in Israel, who had heard something and were, consequently, alarmed for my safety. Hearing about a thing like that is the constant nightmare that Israeli parents (of sons in kravi) go through on a regular basis and is the day they dread for the most, bar none. Unfortunately, for one set of parents that nightmare became a reality last saturday night. The soldier, thankfully, is in a stable condition. My parents had not heard about it until I told them, which I was happy about. I would not want to think about how my parents would have felt if they had read that on the news. I just want to wish the young soldier, who happens to be a friend of a friend, a full and speedy recovery.

Posing as a pilot!

I don't want to end the blog on a sad note, so I want to talk about another thing that I will remember this '20' for; the blistering cold. Subsequently, the reason why we closed an extra three days was because of the weather and beacuse of the incident. Before I even start, I know it doesn't compare to those of you in London who have been quarantined by the snow lately, this is a rare instant where conditions back home seem favourable to those in the army! Nevertheless, it is so very cold in Gaza, especially at night. For us soldiers, careful planning must be taken, in order to tackle the problem of a mid-night guard duty in the freezing temperatures. For me personally, minimum dresswear is an initial level of thermal vest and longjohns, followed by uniform, a fleece and the almighty snowsuit. This is then complimented by a second pair of socks, woolly hat, neckwarmer and gloves. Despite that mountain of clothes, I was still freezing every night!!!

Braving the cold (in the snowsuit) and the rain (in the waterproof jacket).

I definitely feel that I've deserved this upcoming break, in terms of the recent time and work I've put into the army. I'm obviously really excited to see my family, who I haven't seen since being back home in the summer, which feels like an age ago. Also, I'm craving a break from the kav lifestyle, meaning that I can look forward to sleeping more than three hours a night, going to bed without wearing boots and eating three meals a day with cutlery while sitting at a table. I hope you all have a happy and healthy new year, I know that being in Tel Aviv for a fortnight with friends and family will mean I'll have a good one...