We live by the sword.
Two vignettes from the last couple of days:
My son went for his first visit to lishkat hagiyus. He needed to weigh 50kg (110 lb.) to be eligible for a combat unit. He weighed in (fully dressed) at 49.9kg which the doctor rounded up to 50. Unfortunately, at this point the doctor asked him for the relevant forms. In order to get them out from the bottom of his sweatshirt pocket, he first had to remove a can of soda, three pounds of metal coins and whatever lead objects he had managed to stuff in there. When he didn't find the forms, he repeated this absurd show with his other pocket. He never revealed the ankle weights inside the cuffs of his pants. (The doctor had a good laugh and left his weight at 50.) We are blessed with children struggling to get into combat units, not out of them. (And, no, this kid is not naive about the IDF.)
Tonight I attended the wedding of the son of an old friend, colleague and partner. It was an exceptionally leibedig event. The eidei kiddushin were the fathers of the 20-year-old chosson's two best friends. The two friends were both killed by terrorists (in separate incidents).
Kids today...
Your posting cheered me up. I have been agitated the last couple of days because of some fellow, Prof Yacov Rabkin, who is a religious anti-Zionist polemicist, who was given respectful interviews in the Jerusalem Post and Ha'aretz to spout all sorts of distortions and half-truths. It seems he is an agitator of the style of Moshe Hirsch with a covering of "academic respectibility" (Noam Chomsky likes his book..is he now a "hozer b'tsheuva?). He claims that
ReplyDeleteit is "inevitable" that religious Jews are going to see the "folly" of Zionism. Since all kinds of cranks like this are coming out of the woodwork, it is encouraging to see a basic, natural love of Eretz Israel and the Jewish people in people like the Hatan and the eidim, who are not going to let our enemies get the best of us, as much as their evil efforts might cheer some self-hating Jews.
as much as their evil efforts might cheer some self-hating Jews.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you needed to include the last bit italicized above suggests something is out of orfer both with your head and with your heart.
Your son's actions, while laudable in intent, are highly misguided. If the army rule says that you need to be 50 kg. to be in a combat unit I assume there is a reason for it. Presumably, not fitting the parameters of army requirements means you are a danger to yourself and/or others if you deceitfully join.
ReplyDeleteAs to the doctor's behavior, he should have his lisence revoked, at the very least.
Quite right. A great deal of recent research has shown that anyone weighing 48kg one full year before actually enlisting will absolutely never be able to shoot straight. No amount of conditioning, eating or motivation can make up for those two missing kg. Both my son and the doctor should give way to fat unmotivated soldiers who play by the rules, dammit.
ReplyDeleteAre you telling me the army regs are totally wrong and there is no reason for them to exist?
ReplyDeleteThose combat guys shlep around a lot of stuff. Maybe the army feels that a 98 lb weakling (almost literally!) is just not up to the job.
Yashar Koach. It is an attitude like yours and your son's, and all the cream of Israel's crop, that will allow us to win in the end.
ReplyDelete