Grandma's army

“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...

  A DIFFERENT WAR The idea for “Grandma’s Army” began when I had seven grandchildren in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) at the same time.   However, my family’s participation in the IDF started off   much earlier - when Israel barely had an army and I was decidedly not a grandma!   The war, in which my husband   took part, is   usually known as the Suez Crisis. It took place only eight years after the Israeli Declaration of Independence, and had far-reaching consequences - at both global and regional levels.  On regional levels, the war gave an impetus to the spread of pan-Arabic ideology, leading to the unification of Syria and Egypt and creating the UAR (United Arab Republic). On global levels it marked, not only the end of the British and French influence in the Middle East, but also the decline of the two European powers. It’s outcome was arguably one of the most significant episodes in post-1945 British history, highlighting Br...

Israel's management of the coronavirus epidemic is proving to be one of the most challenging events since the establishment of the state. Meanwhile, IDF recruitment continues as usual, as does combat training, with adjustments made in order to comply with the guidelines of the Health Ministry.  To date, 23 IDF soldiers have contracted the coronavirus, and 5,600 soldiers are in quarantine, of which 240 are “lone soldiers.” With four grandchildren in the IDF, I was interested to hear from them how the coronavirus impacts on their army service: Amitai , who is in the Armoured Corps, began an officer’s course 7 months ago and last week the concluding ceremony was held – for the first time, with no family or friends with whom to share their celebration. The course was carried out as always, beginning with the cadets from all of the ground forces. The subjects they studied were focused mainly on leadership, ethical values, command and basic warfare. The coronavirus ...