The IDF on Sunday published its enlistment figures for soldiers born in the year 2000, enlisted in 2018, and are expected to complete their mandatory military service this year.
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Unsurprisingly, cities such as Modiin-Maccabim-Reut appeared at the top of the city-by-city breakdown, along with Nes Ziona, Givat Shmuel, and Kiryat Ono. Tel Aviv, meanwhile, found itself far behind the leading cities in 51st place, at least in terms of enlistment figures for males.
The highest score in the country went to the Ramat Hanegev Regional Council with a score of 85.67 for men, but it did not rate in the top 10 for women.
The cities were split into groups by size and given a score out of 100 based on their enlistment rates. The score was made up of the percentage of enlisters, the number of soldiers who became officers and the number of enlisters who served in combat (for men) or considered their service to be meaningful (women). Scores were awarded separately for men and women.
The fact that Tel Aviv appeared so low on the list is very troubling to the IDF Manpower Directorate, which plans to invest significant effort in the near future to increase enlistment and meaningful service rates among the city's youth.
The leading city in combat percentages was Jerusalem in which 59% of its enlisters go into combat units.
The schools with the highest scores were both religious. The best score (91.03%) went to the Shaked Darka girls' school in Sde Eliyahu, and the second-best (91.01%) was the High School for Environmental Education for boys.
"The State of Israel is under significant threats and therefore combat service must be upheld as a core, leading value in Israeli society," said the head of the IDF's Manpower Directorate, Maj. Gen. Yaniv Assur. "The fighters are those who risk their lives for the security of the country and protect its citizens. We are working in complete conjunction with the local municipalities to improve the sorting and placement processes for future recruits, to encourage meaningful combat enlistment such that they arrive at our gates ready and willing. Improving and adapting the sorting and placement process is a top priority for us to find the human best possible human capital while ensuring equality of opportunity, which is why we invest so much in it."
Assur added: "Claims have been made recently that only youths from the periphery serve in combat units. The figures we have published prove these claims to be incorrect. We can see that IDF recruits and those who enlist in combat units come from a broad range of cities and communities across the country. The IDF is the people's army and its people are a reflection of Israeli society in all its diversity."
The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality said in response to the report that "it's a mistake and misleading to compare a heterogeneous city such as Tel Aviv, which consists of a variety of populations, some of which aren't committed to enlistment, to homogeneous cities from a population perspective, and it's unfortunate that the army has chosen to adopt this approach."
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