Fighting for Israel, reserve IDF soldiers cut the BDS
After immigrating to Israel in order to enlist in the IDF, Laura, Kayla, and Rebecca are now preparing for their next battle; all three have flown to the United States to provide Israeli ‘Hasbara’ (pro-Israel informational campaign) on campuses across the US against the BDS movement.
The three recently immigrated trio have joined the project, run by the Reservists on the Front organization, which works against the anti-Israel boycott BDS movement. As part of the organization's informational campaigns, the three female reserve soldiers flew to the US on Monday to present the Israeli angle and expose the lies of the boycott movement.
Laura Prince, 25, made aliyah (immigrated) from New Jersey to Herzliya five years ago and served as a squad leader in the Caracal Battalion. "I came to Israel to join the army," said Laura.
She feels that she already knows how to explain Israel's point of view. "I'll explain the situation through my personal experiences," she said, adding: "The media has a tendency to go against Israel and that's what the students are learning. In order to teach them the truth, you have to speak to them face-to-face.”
Rebecca Greger, 27, who immigrated from North Carolina to Herzliya seven years ago, joined the informational campaign as well. "I felt obligated to give of myself and serve the State of Israel," she said.
"The BDS’s claims are wrong. The fact that people believe them only shows how much they don’t know about Israel," she emphasized. “The Americans have the privilege of conducting their battles in distant places and not on their borders. Therefore, they are not exposed to feelings of distress, war and existential threats."
"I hope to share my experience with other people so that they understand that the reality in Israel is very different from what they see on television and on the news," she added.
Staff Sgt. Kayla Dulin, 26, immigrated to Tel Aviv from New York four years ago and served as a sergeant in the Caracal Battalion.
"I'm a proud Jew. I'm a Zionist. I love the country. I am the daughter of parents who fled from the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and my late grandfather was a Holocaust survivor. These are the stories I grew up on. They are an integral part of my identity," said Kayla.
"I feel like I have fulfilled a dream that is not only mine, but of generations in my family… I think the IDF is the most ethical body to deal with many challenges and in the end, is responsible for Israel's security. It's not black and white. We are not perfect, but we’re close," she said.
"There is no room for the new anti-Semitism disguised as pro-Palestinianism," she concluded.
"There is tremendous power in having former lone soldiers who are now living in Israel undertaking these informational campaigns,” said Amit Dari, CEO of Reservists on the Front. "Along with an Israeli mentality, an IDF service and various experiences from Israel, they also have a deep understanding of the American mentality and complete mastery of the language. Our representatives have family and friends living in the US, and especially on campuses. The US is important to them; the poison and anti-Semitism spread by hateful organizations and the BDS are harming America no less than they’re harming Israel."
(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
