"Where did you serve in the army?" Once upon a time, this was a legitimate question, one you'd open a job interview with or simply use to start a friendly conversation with a stranger. Sadly, this question is being asked less and less. Some will argue that this question is inequitable or perpetuates discrimination. After all, how would an Arab person who isn't required to serve, an ultra-Orthodox individual with an exemption, or a disabled person, respond?
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Over the course of my career in the IDF, when school principals would ask me about "the best way to increase motivation to serve," I'd answer that all educators must encourage all of their students to give freely of themselves on behalf of others – the lonely elderly lady in the neighborhood, children with cancer, a friend struggling at school or socially.
And only then, once they develop an ethical and moral way of thinking that leads to the altruistic contribution, it will be easier for them, and for the IDF, to transition from helping the lone elderly person or weaker classmate to helping the entire country.
If someone has a problem with the question "where did you serve in the army?" I suggest that workplaces ask "how did you contribute?" instead, or "what did you do for the country and Israeli society?" The more this question becomes taboo or devalued, the more our national fortitude is eroded. This important question – and more importantly the answer to this question – needs to guide all of us.
Standing in the face of those who have forgotten their duty are the majority of good people who serve in the IDF and those who despite qualifying for an exemption fight to serve anyway. Take, for example, the following inspirational case: About a month ago, a soldier with special needs approached me in the Knesset and thanked me for helping him enlist. This person, who is on the autistic spectrum, was disqualified from service in the early stages of the conscription process and turned to me. He is but one of many who need to be highlighted, particularly within the context of the discourse about draft dodgers.
Some of the meanings behind the phrase – "A people build an army, and the army builds and nation" – are predicated on the natural mechanism on which the basis of Israel's existence rests – the Israeli Defense Service Law. The IDF relies on two primary sources: budget and manpower. The state has always provided it with both. If the IDF ever runs low on money, would it send soldiers to get jobs to increase its budget? Of course not.
Conscription in Israel is a societal challenge, way before it is an IDF challenge. The drop in numbers reflects the value attributed to service in general, along with additional aspects such as motivation to become an officer and reporting for reserve duty. Looking to the future, Israel will need all these things for many years to come.
It's undoubtedly easy to look at the numbers as an IDF problem and demand that it provide the solutions, but this really isn't a problem with the IDF. This problem lies with me, our children, and our grandchildren. And the solution is in our homes, our schools, and in each and every one of us.
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