Back to fatigues

At height of exam season, students have gone back to fight

Gal Dai|Published: 07.16.06 , 09:44

Israeli society has dissipated into a valueless, divided, apathetic, society, in which people fail to care about one another and fail to be involved with society –these are just some of the propaganda we have been reading in recent years. No one has been able to stand up and say proudly that it just isn't true.

But come crunch time, we are different: Like a threatened animal, our survival instinct kicks in, and we are poised and ready. We turn into a clenched fist, we join together, devote ourselves to one another, we volunteer, we care, and are highly motivated to contribute and be involved.

Since our latest war broke out last week, a lot has been going on under the surface – in text messages, emails and short conversations that clarify to everyone just how safe they are, just how much they are part of a strong, stable societal network. No matter what happens, there are people prepared to march at the head of the line, there are people prepared to leave their everyday lives behind, get out their old army uniforms and prepared to do whatever need be.

Tough sacrifice

Now that it's summer time, we Israeli students sit at home surrounded by countless textbooks and unintelligible class notes, and we have to study to pass our exams.

But at the moment, we are all gathered around one, central cause – minimizing fatalities, returning fire and restoring some sort of daily life for Israel. We got so used to concentrating on life rather than death, about social illnesses, about domestic and external peace rather than about war. The reality is stronger than all this and we are forced into it.

No second chance

War always brings with it heavy, uncomfortable feelings. You can't sit at home knowing other people are fighting, sacrificing themselves for the lives of others. We all understand that in the great test we are facing as a nation is a test for Israel's robustness and deterrent ability – there is no second chance.

Either we win this war with a minimum of mistakes, or we fail, and lose big, and it will take the IDF and defense establishment a long time, 10 years or more, to restore its standing in society.

In recent days, Israel's university students have been broadcasting a singular, clear message: We are willing to sacrifice everything, to put ourselves out, to put off our exams, to do without salaries and to say goodbye to our friends and families, knowing full well that we might not return.

We are ready and determined, waiting for call-up notices to tell us what bases to report to. And we – 250,000 student reservists – will serve in any role we are called to fulfill as best as we can. No less than the future of this country is at stake.

Not apathetic

Some say we students are apathetic. As opposed to French college students, we are not united and strong against the powers-that-be. We are not the watchdogs of society and of justice. Therefore, it must be said that Israeli students are different than their counterparts almost anywhere else.

But we refuse to be dragged into defending ourselves, or responding to these populist claims, especially at the present time. Our contribution to the country cannot be measured, and is significantly greater than students' contribution in any other country: We forego our ambition to succeed and our private lives, and we are ready to go to battle at the drop of a hat, on any front, for as long as necessary.

I am strengthened by the feelings of patriotism coming from the field. I believe in us as a nation, and I respect us as a nation, both as Israelis and as Jews, in the only country we've got. And I know we'll get through this, too.