A day in the life of IDF reservists

22/03/2012
Author: Adam May
Source: www.idf.il

In recent months, Israel's long quiet border with Egypt has become an increasingly important area of focus for the IDF. Following the Eilat terror attack in August(2011), the threat of future terror attacks has led to the construction of a new fence with increased IDF presence stationed along the border. However, several times a year, instead of the typical group of soldiers this vital post is manned by an unusual blend of students, fathers, and even a rabbi.

For weeks at a time, a company of men from the Alon Reserve Division, take up their old uniforms, say goodbye to wives and children, and head out to their remote posts and long abandoned army lifestyle.

"It's not too hard to adjust to military life again, but it never feels right. You're here but the outside world keeps going," said SFC (res.) Oz Naor. "Everyone has their individual lives, important jobs, pregnant wives, their studies, a lot of responsibilities- but everyone comes anyway."


“You know why you are here”

Reserve duty is an integral part of life in Israel. After being released from the army and given a one-year break, citizens are assigned to a reserve company. Reservists meet often with their companies and have at least one extended training session or deployment a year until the age of 45. Three months ago, the men of this company received the letter informing them of their service- and then the preparations began. Bosses were called, arrangements were made, and households were prepared, all so these reservists can take up their post along the border and allow the active regular service forces the necessary time to train.

For Maj. (res.) Itamar Ben-Shefer, the commander of this particular reserve company, his job began six months beforehand. "As the company commander, your burden is obviously different," said Maj. Ben-Shefer. Not a day goes by without Maj. Ben-Shefer's phone ringing with army matters. In civilian life, Itamar studies while holding down a job, but these distractions can't get in the way of his service. "After the month is over I'll see if the girlfriend, job and studies are still waiting for me," Itamar said laughing. "When you are here, you just snap into it, only afterwards do you realize the damage, but once you are here you are focused."

And staying focused is essential. The company is responsible for a very volatile stretch of Israel's border, including Egypt, Gaza, and the busy Kerem Shalom crossing. From the company's hilltop position, you can see the nearby towns that dot the desert landscape. "There are towns on the map that are only 500 meters from the border we are responsible for defending. They can see the Gaza Strip. When you see something like that the mission becomes very clear, you know why you are here," said Maj. Ben-Shefer.

Maj. Ben-Shefer's company is always patrolling the border, 24/7. Many times a day, Maj. Ben Shefer will set out with scouts to survey the border. On the far side of the fence, Egyptian outposts tower over the hills while the silhouettes of Egyptian soldiers stand with their back towards Israel, scanning the desert for signs of terrorist activity. Humvees drive past barbed wire fences littered with the clothes of failed intruders, scanning the ground for the footprints of infiltrators.


Finding the balance

With an average age of 28, the difference between reservist and the average soldier is evident. "The soldiers are more responsible, they are at a different point in their lives. The big difference is the need for time to deal with the other parts of their life," says Maj. Ben-Shefer.

Rabbi Dan Segalis, who is both a father of 5 and head of his own Yeshiva, is the man responsible for this delicate balancing act. "My job is to schedule soldiers, to worry about manpower from both an army perspective and a personal one," says Rabbi Segalis. "I want to help make the soldier's life easier. You think about both the numbers that the company needs, and the names of the people who fill those numbers. You can't forget about the people themselves and their names."

While certainly not whom you would expect to find holding an outpost on the border, Rabbi Segalis has been at this for over 15 years. "Doing reserve service is never easy, but you deal with it. My students all enlist in the army, it's important to me to be a good role model," he said. "Reserve service is different, people are different, older. I have more maturity than I did. I have to be here and I want to be here. And that goes for everybody. Yes it's an obligation, but it's also an honor."