Week 5- Shavuah Shetach (Field Week)

Week 5 started off on a rough note because I caught a stomach virus right before we were supposed to go down to the field. During that week, we sleep in tents in the middle of the desert, learn all about combat tactics, eat from cans etc. At the end of the week, there's a Masa for the tag of the base (the tag everyone wears on the shoulder of the uniform). However, because of my virus, the medic wouldn't let me go with everyone & sent me home for the week. I went back to the kibbutz & went to straight to sleep for about a week! Everyone there took such great care of me- making sure I had chicken soup at all times & got to my doctor appointments. It was hard feeling so sick far away from my own bed & mom, but my family & friends in Israel took such great care of me.

At the end of the week, I started feeling better & went to Jerusalem for Shavuot. It was quite the experience being there for such a great holiday - my cousin and uncle who was just on birthright joined my sister & me which was great. We were invited out for all of the meals & when we weren't eating, I spent my time relaxing & sleeping. It wasn't the week I expected, but then again it's all apart of the experience! I'm very thankful to all my friends & family - near and far- who have been there for me every step of this journey!

I am now on the bus from Jerusalem to Beer Sheva with 99% (exhausted) soldiers who, I'm sure, feel the same as me about going back to the base this morning! It'll be a great week I'm sure. 

Week 4- Instructor's Course

Week 4 was by far the busiest week thus far! Not gonna lie, the feeling of waking up before the sun on Sunday morning to return to the base is not the best!

Once we got to the base, had lunch, and changed into the uniforms we wear on the base, we got straight to business (of course). Each soldier had to give a 10 minute class on anything she would like. I was nervous, obviously, because it was my first time giving a class in hebrew. I spoke about what it means to live a healthy lifestyle and the steps one should take to achieve that. It was fun and I got very good feedback from my commander and friends. I also had to take a test which covered everything that we learned the week before - on the basics of how to be an instructor. Thankfully, I got help reviewing the material and passed the test. I had trouble understanding some of the test, so my commander sat with me and translated (from hebrew to hebrew, of course).

The point of week 4 - level “a” of the course- is for every girl to give a 30 minute lesson on the topic that is given to her. At the end of the week, we had a test on all 12 topics - they ranged from different types of guns to night vision goggles the soldiers use in combat. I gave a class on who navigates/ how to navigate any sort of armored vehicle which was actually very interesting, and I had a great time teaching it to the girls. I got great feedback from my commander afterwards about my lesson, and it was an accomplishing feeling to know that despite the language barrier, I somehow pulled through.

We also had another Masa this week - as I explained in an earlier post, a masa is a “hike” or march during the night with the entire unit - everyone wearing their vests and guns. At the end of every masa lead by a different commander, we receive something that marks our progress. This masa was lead by one of our commanders and at the end of it, he gave each one of us the pin (sika) to put on our kumta (barret). Because we teach combat, we get the combat pin. He called up every girl individually and said a few words to express how he feels about them as soldiers etc. He told me he was very proud of me for making Aliyah and being here, and he sees that despite everything, I always give it my all and that he thinks I am a great soldier. As I walked back to my spot in our “chet” formation, I couldn't help but shed a few tears. The feeling of finally becoming a real soldier and gaining recognition from the commanders is hard to describe!

We closed for Shabbat, and for me, closing is very hard because I keep Shabbat and Friday night- Saturday is the only time the army lets us use our phones. It’s hard to see everyone on their phones speaking to their family when all I want to do is see or speak to mine! I was definitely homesick those two days because I had a lot of down time to think about where I am and how far away I am from my family. My friends saw that I was upset and they were all there for me - telling me how their home is my home and how they are here for me whenever and about whatever. I have found some special and incredible friends thus far! It ended up being a nice Shabbat because Friday night, as always, I went to Shul with some friends. It was a packed weekend on base so Shul as well as the dining hall was full of singing soldiers - it was quite a scene.

At the end of every week, each class of 12 girls + their commander of a conversation about the pros and cons of the previous week. It took me a while to think of something to say this time, but when it came my turn I turned to my commander and class and said - “If you would’ve told the Hannah who live in Florida 2 months ago that I would be running 3 km at 6 am, doing guard duty at 4 am, carrying a stretcher on my back in the middle of the night in the desert, give a class on navigation in hebrew - I would’ve laughed in your face. But somehow I did it and survived!” The entire class loved that. But in all seriousness, it’s true. Despite the day to day hardships in the army, the stress of being timed from everything - study time to shower time - at the end of the day, we’re all fine and are proud of ourselves for getting through the week.

Week 3 - End of Basic Training and Beginning of Course

Week three was an eventful week because we went to

Jerusalem and finished Basic Training.

Going to Jerusalem in uniform, with a gun and my unit was an experience I don’t think I will ever forget. We visited Yad Vashem, Har Herzl, and the Kotel.

Every time I go to Yad Vashem, I get something different out of my visit, but this time was especially impactful for obvious reasons. At Har Herzl, I visited the graves of Michael Levine and Max Steinberg - two lone soldiers who lost their lives in battle. Seeing the overwhelming number of rocks put on the graves as well as pictures and army tags made me realize again how much all Israelis are truly here as our family. The Kotel was of course meaningful, especially because so many tour groups came up to us and asked to take pictures while continuously thanking us for our service. I remember being those tour groups, completely enamored by the soldiers!

That night when we came back from Jerusalem, we had something called a Masa - a hike in the middle of the night when we wear all of our gear and work towards a specific goal. It was a tough journey, but at the top of the mountain, each of our commanders replaced our yellow tags (representing basic training) to green and white tags (representing our course). We then had our Hashabaah (swearing in ceremony) right then and there. When I was called up to receive my gun and Tanach from my officer, I truly didn’t believe that all of this was real. That I was really swearing into the IDF. I kept looking around at the Israeli flags, the lights of our base at the bottom of the mountain, and all of the girls I am with, as tears welled in my eyes.

I also have to present a 10 minute class next week and take a test covering everything we learned last week.

I got off early this weekend (on Thursday) because as a lone soldier, I get one day a month to organize all of my bank stuff, errands, etc. I am spending Shabbat with Lilly and David at my Kibbutz and look forward to seeing my Garin Tzabar family.

Week 2- Basic Training

Week two started with getting up before the sun on Sunday morning and traveling on many different trains back to the base. I have never experienced such chaos in my life than when I had to literally climb my way onto the train… What I mean is that there were hundreds and hundreds of soldiers sitting and standing in every empty space possible. I looked to my left and saw two soldiers with tefillin and praying - in no other country does that happen. On early morning trains in America, you’ll find middle aged workers drinking black coffee and reading the newspaper. Not here. Here, it’s a bunch of exhausted teenagers with guns, some praying, some sleeping, and some squashed against a window.

We got our guns this week and learned hours and hours about the responsibility it is to have a gun and how the gun itself works. We also spent 15 hours in the field doing all types of shooting drills. Although it was completely exhausting and not so enjoyable at points, it was a bonding experience for the girls in my unit. That night when I came back to the base, I felt emphatically exhausted but at the same time proud of myself for conquering that day.

That Shabbat we stayed on the base, and I went to Friday night services with some girls in my unit as well as a “festive” Friday night dinner. At dinner, it hit me that although I am in a tough and intense army, the officers who yell at us made Kiddush and blessed the Challah on Friday night.

This week was a hard week for me emotionally and physically - we had a lot of runs, hours in the classroom, and tests - however I learned a lot about myself in the sense that although in the moment things feel impossible, here I am, a week later, and perfectly fine!

Week 1 - Basic Training (April 19- 25)

To say that my first week in the 

Army was a shock would definitely be an understatement.

Let’s start with day one. My family, friends, and Garin Tzabar family took me on Sunday (April 19) to my Giyus-- the draft where I basically take some pictures, cry a little, say bye to everyone, and load the bus to a building nearby where I get officially registered as a soldier. My dad was in Israel so having him, along with Lilly, my sister who is here for the year, and my boyfriend David made it a much more emotional yet meaningful goodbye. At the Bakum (where they took us after we said bye), there were tons of confused and anxious 18 year old girls going through different stations… Interview with an officer, some shots and blood tests, getting your army ID and dog tags, putting on the uniform etc. We ended up being there for a whole of 12 hours because they were having trouble with the computer system… So a majority of the day consisted of being yelled at, having a 5 minute interview, and waiting for the next station to open. Finally, after hours of meeting new girls and trying to get over the fact that I was wearing an IDF uniform, we boarded the bus to the Negev Desert to my base - Bislach. There, we had to get absorbed and didn’t go to bed until 2 am. I called my mom during our one hour of free time a night and burst into tears because of how exhausted and truly overwhelmed I was. Luckily, there are a handful of other lone soldiers in my unit, so we all were confused and sought translation together.

During the next few days of basic training, we were split up into our classes (12 girls) and met all of our commanders and officers. We sat in classes given by the officers about what it means to be a soldier, the rules on the base, and the importance of being professional and timely. The first week of basic training was not as bad as I had expected, but the hardest part was definitely the language and being far away from home.

Yom Hazikaron was on the first Tuesday of being in the army and needless to say, it was an emotional experience for everybody involved. My unit participated in a tekes (ceremony)  for the entire base - a few hundred soldiers, commanders, and officers all stood at attention while we listened to the one minute siren sounded across the entire country to honor the fallen heroes. We then heard some speeches given by officers about the sadness of the day and the responsibility we have as the soldiers of Israel to carry on the fallens’ legacy and mission. During the singing of Hatikva, there was not one dry eye. I kept looking at my surroundings and then down at my uniform in utter disbelief that I now have the privilege of being a part of such an incredible body of people. At that moment, I remembered that although the road has been and will be hard, I am there for my country, for myself, and for the continuation of those heroes’ missions.

The next night was Yom Haatzmaut (Israel Independence day), and although we had to continue Basic Training, they had a BBQ in our area of the base...But they kept reminding us that this is not something we should get used to! We had a few classes about the establishment and existence of Israel. There was one class given by the head of our unit on what it means to be Israeli - if you can still be Israeli and live in America, or if you have to live in Israel to be Israeli. There were an array of opinions, and although I have never stood up to give an answer in front of everyone, I felt compelled to share my thoughts. I stood up, and in my obviously strong American and Lone Soldier accent, I expressed that being Israeli is something deeper than loving Chummus and Falafel. It’s being counted as one of the souls that live in this land and DO something for it. It is nice to talk about how much we love Israel, but we need to do something for it. I’m Israeli because I made Aliyah and am serving my country - does that mean I have an Israeli accent? No. Do I particularly love Shwarma and Tahini? Probably not. However, I do feel the deep and unbreakable connection to this land and am therefore Israeli. After that class, so many girls came up to me practically in tears, expressing how much my 2 minute rant inspired them. It is moments like these that make this journey all worth it to me.

That Shabbat, we were able to go home, and thankfully, my dad was in Israel! We stayed at hotel, along with my sister, in Herziliya. The hotel found out I was a lone soldier and surprised my family with free rooftop drinks, food, balloons, and lotions! I could not believe how incredible they were to me - every one of their staff came over and thanked me for serving their country. Not only that, they printed a route of the trains and busses I had to take the next morning to get to my base along with a private driver to take me to the train station. I was completely humbled by their treatment, yet it made me recognize how much the lone soldiers mean to the country.