Grandma's army

  The “Israeli Defense Forces”   is the only army in the world to be named as such. Since its inception, it has never been Israel’s intention   to be the aggressor or to start a war.   Israel is not looking to enlarge its territory, to become an Empire, or to make converts.   There are 56 Islamic countries, 125 predominantly Christian countries - how dare the Jews claim the right to have a country of   their own, and such a big one! People are used to the Jews being helpless, homeless, and defenceless.   That has been our role in the world for the last 2,000 years. For days, the civilized world has been steeped in stories of the unbelievable barbarity perpetrated by Hamas in Israel. And yet, there is still an international political regime, including academia, that romanticises so-called Palestinians and now blame Israelis for being brutalised. How can one rationalise the murder of close to 1,400 individuals, including rape, decapitating babies...

  GRANDMA'S ARMY IN EMOTIONAL DISTRESS Yesterday felt like the longest day in my life. I was   spending   the festival - which is considered the happiest in the Jewish calendar - with my daughter, her husband, son and very pregnant daughter-in-law in Gannei Tal (a moshav down south). Instead of dancing in the synagogue we were being confined to their “safety room”, like prisoners, while continuously being bombarded by the thousands of rockets coming from Gaza. Not long after the first siren woke us all up at 6:30 in the morning my grandson, who was a commanding officer in an elite unit, was called-up. He was gradually joined by his three brothers, one son’s triplets, plus the son and daughter of my other son. With the addition of two of my granddaughters’ husbands. Some are on the border with Gaza and others were sent to the north, where the threat from Hizbullah is always imminent.   Like the Yom Kippur War, the Arabs took Israel completely by surprise. The wa...

“Grandma’s Army” began with seven of my grandchildren in the army at the same time. Since then, we are still “soldiering” on and the original seven have been gradually joined by eight others (all but one in fighting units) all of whom have finished their compulsory service. One of the original seven is still serving, and has been doing so for eight years - so far. After completing an officer’s course, he was given total responsibility in the training of a troop of recruits, and turning them into a unified fighting corps. Not long ago, he was promoted to Major. Most of what his unit   carry out are covert military operations and are strictly confidential. Even though my other grandchildren are no longer regular soldiers, they are still serving in the reserves. Israel has constructed a unique system that relies on a rapid mobilization of large numbers – all well-trained reservists - to complement its regular force. These reserve forces are considered the very backbone of our na...