yom kippur.

It's about to be Yom Kippur.  One of the holiest days of the Jewish calender. It represents the time where you ask for forgivness from others but mostly from yourself and if you have a connection with G-d. then from G-d as well.  Its a time to mend and open up any tentions or connections you have.
On this Yom Kippur I want to bring up an incident that has been all over the news and in papers this week.  I normally don't comment on any political news but this event struck me.
    This past week there was a encounter with Terrorists.  The combat soldiers in the unit of Karkal, which is composed of both men and women faced the terrorists by storming and killing three terrorists.  One terrorists was killed by a woman combat soldier.  Another female soldier of the bregade hid behind a rock.  After 15 mins the fighting was done and the soldiers started looking for the soldier that hid behidn the rock, fearing that she was kidnapped.  Now that all the evidence is on the table.  She told reporters that she didn't storm because she had "no chance against them".
     She is now being put on trail for not following orders and storming. 
Ok- breathe.
I am still conflicted about how I feel about this.  We all want to say that men and women and equal .  We would all like to ignore the fact that physically the two genders are not built the same.  I am from a very liberal household- went to a hippy artsy college and truly believe that both genders should be treated equally and with respect.   Then the issue at hand comes to play.  If this had been a man combat soldier that did not follow orders and hid while his fellow soldiers put their lives at risk , society would have no objection but to look down at him with little to no pity and let him go straight to trail.  Now that this is a woman that serves in the IDF's unit where men and women are expected to fight along side -undergo same training and are treated the same for every step of the way- then why do we suddenly have compassion and understanding.
    One side of me believes that since this was a volunteery position in which this woman signed up for, knowing the type of situations she would get herself into - then she should be judged harshly and accordence with the law.  This is the equal rights bit , no?
     The other side of me says, if it was me standing on the boarder of Egypt with a Tavor in my hand against three terrorists could  I put everything aside and swarm in on them with my friends? I probably could not.   Another side of me thinks that this is an 18 year old girl that just finished high school, probably thought of her family and friends and did the logical thing in a fight or flight situation.  
     Coming to Israel I had hopes and dreams of being in a combat unit such as this one.  I have the highest respect for the combat soldiers in the IDF , the ones I train, live with and meet daily.  Both men and women.  I am lucky to have recieved the honor of training them with their weapons and am also lucky that I have not had to make such a choice or use the instinct of fight or flight like this woman did. 
     I am not sure what the right thing would be to say or do in a situation such as this.  I hope that this Yom Kippur, when everyone is going to Shuel that this combat soldier finds a peace within herself and that what ever trial she recieves it is one that is fitting and she can live with.  I wish everyone an easy fast, a compassionate week and a Mar Chatima Tova,
Michali.

Shanah Tova-Happy New Year

What a kick ass way to kick out the Jewish New Year.  Yesturday my roomate and i decided to go for a beer at our local pub.  When we got to the Para we were not allwoed to go in.  The bouncer said there was a performance and to come back at eleven. SO we were disgruntled and decided to go to the beach instead.  We chatted for awhile and then heard the music playing from the beach. Before going on this beer mission I had mentioned to my roomie that I would love to see Mosh Ben Ari ( a really wonderful Israeli singer) in concert since we had been jamming to his stuff all afternoon.   Hearing the music from the beach I reconized the song.  "Hey that is either Mosh Ben Ari or a really good cover of him." we looked up the performance on line on their website and dashed towards the bar.  We sneaked in through the back entrance.  We ended up seeing him perform two of my favorite songs as his last songs and stood only a few feet from the stage. 
    After the crowd cleared out a bit after the performance we sat down to order dinner and beer and saw him outside.  We dashed outside and asked to take a picture with him.   I asked him if we could buy him a beer .  I guess it was the fact that both of us look like we are 12 and an older man with dred locks doesn't normally sit with 12 year old fans at a bar - he said he wasn't feeling well but wished us a happy new year.
     Even though i was rejected it was the perfect way to start this year. I also have three weeks off from the Army.  I already have so many plans.  For this holdiay I am with my host family and for the next I will be celebrating with two friends at Kibbutz Saad. 
    Right now I should reflect the last year.  Pretty soon in another month it will be exactly a year since I joined the Army.  I think about all the progress, growth, and amazing transformation I have gone through as well as all the amazing people I have met and live with.  This certainly was not an easy year.  It was filled with frustration- homesickness- and not the best health but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I found my place in this world.  (No, not in the Army) but standing up for what I believe and following the path I set up for myself.   Israel is really the home I longed to set up and live in.  Coming home from Ber Sheva I saw a Bedouine woman covered up from head to toe with only her eyes showing.  The soldier sitting a couple of rows in front of me on the bus got up for her and continued to listen to his whiny girlfriend complaining on the phone.   I  thought to myself will all the effed up things Israel does - the value for human life is truly remarkable.  I am sure next time I get pushed or some guy cuts me in line I will get back to you all and curse their existance - but for now everything is good : )
     Oh , another really cool thing that happened to me this past week was that I finally got to train soldiers in English.  It was such a turn and a fun perk.  The Green Barretts  came to train on my base and I was picked to train them.  What a rewarding and wonderful thing.  Not only to see how a different Army shoots so differently then we do but to see the massive respect they had for us as trainers and as women doing this job and also as an Army.  One of them told me that of all the Armys they have seen around the world our is most impressive and most professional.   Yay


Anyways I have to go run, My new years revolution is to get into better shape- origional I know,
Love,
Happy and Sweet New Year,
Michali