We heard the noises first – sniper fire followed by sharpshooting. Then we saw billows of smoke tower over a giant desert sand dune. That’s when our guide told us to follow him to get a better look. We sidestepped down a giant hill, then ran up an even bigger one as the noise got louder and we the scent of the smoke filled the air. Someone asked whether the soldiers wore earplugs during such exercises. When she received an affirmative answer, some of us questioned whether we should be wearing them as well.
But it was worth having a little strain on the eardrums to get an up-close-and-personal look at the day-to-day training activities of the Maglan unit of the Israeli army. Normally based in Askhelon, this week the group is practicing with live ammo on remote desert terrain near the Dead Sea. Maglan is one of the most elite units in the Israeli army. Its soldiers specialize in a wide variety of combat and intelligence tactics -- many of which the soldiers were not allowed to share with us for security reasons. Terrain training exercises like the ones we saw are a regular part of army life; the soldiers typically spend a few weeks each year practicing in the desert and in heavily wooded areas, both during the day and at night. Even though we knew that the exercises we were watching were only practice, it was nonetheless scary watching young soldiers of just 19 and 20 years old open fire. It was a taste of the reality that many Israelis face upon joining the army.
One of the highlights of our visit was a dialogue between the soldiers and my classmate Josh, who served in the US Army. The Israelis were especially interested hearing Josh talk about what it was like to be a Jew in the US army, and how he managed to celebrate Shabbat and other Jewish holidays with his fellow soldiers. In the Israeli army, it's easy to take Jewish identity for granted -- in fact, the soldiers we met with all noted how the army is a place of mutual respect amongst Jews from all different denominations. If a secular and a religious Jew happen to be rooming together, the secular Jew is always considerate of the religious Jew's Shabbat observance. In addition, all food served in the army is Kosher -- although, judging from the lunch that we shared with the soldiers in the desert, it's not exactly gourmet. It consisted of bread, hummus, canned corn, and some sort of mystery meat. The meat looked like ham, but obviously couldn't be ham, given the kashrut requirement. That almost made it seem more sketchy. Needless to say, I stuck to the bread and hummus -- can't go wrong with that.
Despite the fact that I left the desert feeling slightly hungry and very sandy, I'm grateful to have had such a unique opportunity to closely observe the ways in which young men and women defend the state of Israel.
1 comment:
Interesting post. Particularly regarding the soldier's diets. I wonder what do they do about people who keep kosher in the US army?
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