IDF celebrates Druze soldiers' day
Senior IDF officers, government officials gather in Carmiel to honor IDF's Druze soldiers. Druze brigade to be presented with Commander in Chief's Citation for actions in Second Lebanon War
Hagai Einav Published: 08.12.07, 19:50 / Israel News
The IDF celebrated its Druze soldiers' day Sunday, honoring the 110,000 Druze soldiers in its ranks.
The official military ceremony was held in Carmiel, where senior members of the government and the military spoke of the community's valuable contribution to the IDF.
The IDF's Druze brigade is also to receive the Commander in Chief's Citation, for their actions in the Second Lebanon War.
"It is our duty to serve our country and we take pride in it – that's the way I was brought up and that's the way I raised my children," Riad Assad, a Druze from Beit-Jan who served in the IDF in the 1970s and now has five sons serving in the army, told Ynet Sunday.
The service, said Assad is somewhat of a way of life in his family: His eldest served is the Druze brigade as a paramedic, his second son serves in the regular army, his third son serves as a deputy company commander, his fourth son is on the last legs of his service and his fifth son just finished basic training.
The IDF also reported that the number of Bedouin, Circassian, Arab Muslim and Arab Christian Israelis who choose to serve is growing by steady percentages every year.
African Hebrews proud of community's first officer
First member of Dimona's African Hebrew Israelites completes officer training course. 'This is a big step for us,' community leader says Anat Bereshkovsky Published: 07.05.07, 00:08 / Israel News
Itay Ben Yisrael of the African Hebrew Israelites community in Dimona is the first member of the group to become an officer in the IDF. Some 120 young community members currently serve in the army, after the IDF began promoting their enlistment several years ago.
Itay said that the move from life in Dimona to military life was "a culture shock" for him. "I was stunned by how the other guys talked, the curses, the foul language, the direct approach to everything. They could ask me the most intimate questions, as if we grew up together in the same room.
"On the other hand, in the army I discovered the value of friendship. The guys with whom I trained are today my best friends," he added.
The community's leader, Ben Ami Yisrael, told Ynet, "Itay could become a symbol for all of us here in Israel. this is a big step for us. From now on, no one will doubt our willingness to serve in the Israeli army. Itay is certainly a pioneer, our first officer, and we're proud of him."
Abu Gosh's special commando unit is comprised of highly motivated Arab Muslims, not all villagers are happy, but volunteers don't care – they have been assured overseas rescue operations and they are proud to serve the State
Ronny Shaked Published: 09.26.06, 15:46 / Israel News
Commando Abu Gosh, is Israel's bona fide Home Front Command rescue team, its members are all Muslim Arabs, residents of the village of Abu Gosh in the Jerusalem Mountains. Its volunteers are proud to wear IDF uniforms and to salute their commanders.
The military company comprises a medical team with Magen David Adom volunteers, electricians, heavy equipment operators, truck drivers and construction workers. The age group of members ranges between 20-30, although a father and son Zecharia and Halil Jaber serve side by side as well.
The company has a liaison officer and an emergency call up system. Last week it was called up for three days of reserve duty, and all the company members without exception turned up for their annual training.
Regiment Commander Nir Neuman is proud of the Arab company of volunteers. They carry out their assignments accurately, he says. Their professionalism, their ability to locate casualties and their proficiency with the equipment exceeds that of other companies, he says.
Coexistence in uniform
The idea to set up the company came about at a meeting held between the Jerusalem police force and the council head. While the eternal dispute over whether national service for Israeli Arabs should be legislated continues, at Abu Gosh they didn't wait for such laws to be passed.
Volunteering into the Abu Gosh commando was a decision taken collectively by villagers and it is backed by the head of the council, who is also personally involved in the company. Currently some 60 volunteers are active members of the home front team and some 60 more are waiting to be enlisted. The IDF found all the legal solutions for the voluntary organization, including payment for reserve duty and the issuance of salary slips.
When asked what made Arab Israelis don an IDF uniform, company commander Hunni Jaber said that all his life he had felt he was an Israeli citizen and as such he felt a need to volunteer into the army. "Now I walk around with my head held high," he says. He added that the home front is involved in saving human lives regardless of religion and race.
"Our voluntary work is a prime example of Jewish and Arab coexistence and cooperation," he added.
Another member of the team is Ismail Jaber who works as a baker at one of the large hotels in Jerusalem, but he too wouldn't give up the opportunity to carry out his reserve duty despite the amount of work ahead of the Jewish holidays. He says he joined the company to prove that coexistence was possible, "my voluntary work at the home front is aimed at strengthening peace, our work here is to save lives after all," he says.
The two soldier girls, Reut Rozman and Maya Norno who gave a class on rescue theories, say they have never met such highly motivated students before. They say the biggest difference between the Abu Gosh company and other companies is that all the Abu Gosh members all know each other, "it's like a family," they say.
The home front is looking for a way to turn the Abu Gosh company into a model for a national service option for Arab Israelis with the hope of setting up a similar unit in Sachnin in northern Israel.
I believe in Kahane's idea of expelling Israeli Arabs, but I do believe that those that serve the state and their families should be able to stay. 90% of Arabs in Israel don't serve and hate Israel, expel them. These Arabs that serve put the Charedim who hide under the Tal Law to shame!
Topic: Righteous Gentiles in the IDF (Read 4542 times)