The End of Kaldor's Korner!

After 25 months of living in Israel and the successful completion of my 1 year and 8 months of army service this blog post will conclude Kaldor's Korner. I firstly want to thank my loyal readers who have followed my blog from the beginning. If you aren't one of those people I will try and wrap up all my greatest experiences in this one blog post, and hopefully that will build your curiosity and you might decide to read just a few of my 114 blog posts. Here it goes...

Forget about the army! who would have thought I would have survived living on my own in Israel for over 2 years?!?! After graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from a top Canadian university I decided to go and join the IDF. With a very poor handle on the language, somehow I actaully managed to survive the Israeli beaurocricy and fill out the required forms for enlistment and everything else I needed to do. At the same time, I was enjoying my summer! The beach, the floating in the dead sea, hiking the desert and the golan, visiting Petra, SCUBA in Eilat, etc. I really

made the best of my free time before it was taken away.

I was excited for my enlistment day and it finally came on August 20th, 2009. I survived the first week in the army and they even gave me a gun! The first 3 months was spent on a base up north in an army course for foreigners who need to improve their hebrew. Everything in the army is done in Hebrew, so it was about time that after 3 months of living there I actually start speaking (or attempt to) the language. I went through basic training, Hebrew classes (was a model student), and did some masa'ot (forced marches). I became introduced to guard duty and had my first real emergency. I spent my first holiday in Israel - Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Years) doing guard duty in the army. This was just one of the countless examples of how the army screws you. I went AWOL and attempted to raise my medical profile in order to be eligible to be an infantry soldier. I improved my hebrew a bit and after 3 months I was happy to be leaving this base for my combat unit. We had a nice graduation ceremony and it was back to bakum for my second go around of my first day in the army.

I finally made it to the armored corps and started basic training all over again. Now I was in for a shock. People speaking real hebrew and not taking any bullshit from anyone. I was also the only 24 year old, university educated, foreigner, and person who didn't speak hebrew on the base. It was difficulty juggling learning how to be a soldier and completing the daily activities as well as trying to learn the language on the fly. Much of basic training was spent outside in the field, living in the hot desert (during the day) and freezing cold desert (during the nights). I continued to do plenty of guard duty leaving me time to devise a plan on how to take over the world. I completed basic training, got a visit from my parents and got sworn into the IDF! We began working with tanks and found out I would be a tank loader - the job I wanted! We began learning about everything about the tank. We had classroom lessons, practical exercises in the tank and homework. I even got to drive a tank, which even now after having completed my service I can say was one of the most exciting things I have done in my life! I learned everything there was about being a tank loader, and completed 4 months of basic training with our masa kumta - a 25km hike and I received my black beret!

Following basic training was another 4 months of advanced training. In advanced training we worked as an entire tank crew (driver, gunner, loader and commander) to practice working together as an entire unit. I was designated to be in the company commander's tank and began taking my M16 rifle home on my weekends. I got screwed again by being volentold (told to volunteer) to spent my first Independence day in Israel doing guard duty in the desert. I practiced loading lots of ammunition, and just to make things interesting I did it with a gas mask on. We finally practiced firing from all the weapons in weeks of technical training (cannon, machine gun, mortar launcher and m16). I ran 10km for the first time in my life. I think I had quite a good time (53 minutes) considering I decided to run 10km instead of 3 about 20 minutes before the race. We had our final tank crew test where our company commander was in our tank. This test was the completion of our required training to become licensed tankists. We had war week which culminated all of our training! We had a graduation ceremony where we were given our warrior's pin. The company commander gave me the pin off HIS uniform which was a huge sign of respect. My tank crew also won the outstanding tank crew award for our company.

I joined the my new company and we began our 6 months of guarding Israel's border with Lebanon. I began adjusting to the new life of doing border work; what could possibly go wrong on the first day? There was one day of conflict with Lebanon that occurred quite close to where I was stationed. This was the closest thing I saw to any action during my service. We had some pleasant surprises in the army - fun field trips, and had my first solo mission! That was followed by some horrible weeks out in the field. After a year and 5 months in Israel I got 2 weeks off to go to Toronto for a visit. I got promoted to sergeant and we finished our 6 months of duty on the Israel-Lebanon border.

We moved to the Golan Heights to begin our 2 months of winter training. I decided to extend my army service by 2 months because I was expecting the training to be fun! Once at our new base we prepared for a thorough tank inspection by the battalion commander before we began our training. We had our crew training and I was given the weekend off for being outstanding soldier of the week! We had our platoon training which involved a 5 hour drill of rolling around in the mud. I participated in tank exercises with 10 and 35 tanks, got stuck in the mud and flew in a helicopter! After the 35 tank battalion exercise I completed my army service! I had one month of vacation, where I traveled the country before I officially got discharged from the IDF.

Once I reverted back to civilian living, I lived in Jerusalem for my last 2 months in the country, and nearly missed a terrorist attack. I hiked the Israel trail in Eilat and Mitzpe Ramon, took a vacation to Italy, enjoyed Israel's 63rd Independence Day in Jerusalem and had a chance to visit Sderot.

So that is 2 years of my life in Israel and the army in a nutshell. I learned a new language and excelled as a soldier, despite the language barrier - gaining the respect of my commanders, officers and peers. I made some great friends and connected with family members I had never met before. I spent my time living in Jerusalem, Kibbutz Ein Harod in the north, and even a Merkeva 3 Tank! I spent my army training in the beautiful negev desert, and was the first line of defense up north on the Lebanese border. I thoroughly enjoyed my army service and really felt that I was contributing to the state of Israel. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Thank you again for following Kaldor's Korner and I hope that you enjoyed reading about my experiences in Israel and the army. I hope this blog was enjoyable, funny and informative and that you learned something about Israel, the IDF, or me that you didn't know before.

Here are some pics of my evolution as a soldier in the IDF. The pic on the left was taken on my enlistment day. The pic with the battle ready tank was taken during my service up north.

Jerusalem Living

I have been spending most of my last month month and a bit in Israel living in Jerusalem. I have been hanging out with my sister and seeing many friends. I have been going for jogs along the promenade which offers an incredible view overlooking the old city and the Jerusalem hills. On one day I did a hike with my sister through Jerusalem. This hike is part of the Israel trail, and this specific section took us down into the valley behind the old city and all the way up to mount scopus. We got a great view of the old city from every angle.

On Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), which celebrates the reunification of the city of Jerusalem which was won over during the 6 Day War in 1967, there was a fantastic outdoor concert featuring 5 extremely popular Israeli artists (Hayehudim, Barry Sacharof, Shalom Chanoch, Dudu Aharon, and Balkan Beat Box). It was an all night party, with Balkan Beat Box finally leaving the stage at 630AM - well after the sun rose. I went back home in order to sleep and in the afternoon I went out again meeting up with friends as we walked to the Western Wall so sing and dance. When we got there, the place was almost full. When I left at around 8PM I could barely move my way to the exit. After spending a few hours there I decided to leave, but apparently the party hadn't even started! They could have fooled me!

Every year they have the Jerusalem light show where artists use the architecture and the space of the old city to put on some incredible displays of light shows and art. The light show was on for a week and there were thousands upon thousands there to see it. We picked up a map and it had several different trails to follow taking you to the different displays. The old city can be extremely difficult to navigate, so each path had lights hung that direct you where to go. It was pretty cool.

Damascus Gate of the Old City used as a backdrop to tell fairy tail stories.

Excellent use of a building in the old city for art

Sderot

Having been in Israel for over 2 years now and with my stay coming to an end I have seen a lot of the country, but one place I had never visited was Sderot. For those who are unfamiliar with the unique city, here is a brief explanation. Sderot is a town located less than 1km from the border with Gaza. For over 10 years now, Hamas and the terrorists in Gaza have been launching thousands of Kassam rockets and other deadly projectiles into Israel. Due to Sderot's proximity to Gaza, it has been an easy and popular target. Once a rocket has been launched, a siren sounds in Sderot notifying everyone that they have 15 seconds to run and seek shelter before the rocket lands. The rockets can come day or night at any time, and their targets are schools, homes, playgrounds, synagogues, day cares, etc. After thousands of rockets and years of living like this, the city and the people have been changed forever.

My sister was on an organized program and I joined them for the day when they took the day trip from Jerusalem to Sderot. The tour was provided to us by Sderot Media Center (more information on Sderot can be found at their website http://sderotmedia.org.il/). The very first thing that we did was have a security briefing. They explained that if we hear the loud tzeva adom siren we need to immediately run to a fortified shelter. If we can't make it to a shelter, lie face down on the ground and cover your head with your hands. It was hard to believe that people who live in Jerusalem - only an hour and a half drive away didn't know the harsh reality of Sderot. Some of the people on the tour had never heard of Sderot before, so with this as the first introduction to the city, they were in for quite a shock. There was a period of calm without rocket attacks, so there wasn't any expectant danger, and luckily no rockets were launched during our visit.

We took a drive through the city where we could see shelters all up and down the streets, spaced close enough where you would never be more than a 15 second run from a shelter. They explained how kids have to plan their walk to school always knowing where the closest shelter is. From the outside, we saw a school that had a fortified roof. They explained how people don't wear seatbelts in their cars because if they hear the siren it takes more time to take off the belt. They drive with the windows down and never listen to music to ensure that they will be able to hear the siren. Every house has one fortified safe room, and often this one room is where the entire family will sleep! These conditions have led to over 80% of youth suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and sleeping disorders.

The shelters found all over the city. Many of them are painted like this one.

We went to an outdoor playground which was not like any other playground. Aside from the fact that children rarely go outside to play, the playground itself had a castle that kids could play in which was also a rocket shelter. Anywhere were there could be people, there is a shelter. They took us to the edge of the town where we could see into Gaza. We could see quite clearly into Gaza and the cities of Beit Hanun and Gaza City where many of the rockets originate.

Our tour guide described how the rockets have affected the lives of the citizens of Sderot. If a rocket lands in an "open area" as defined by the mainstream media when reporting on rocket attacks, the guide told us that these "open areas" are defined as areas that are not buildings (i.e. backyards, front lawns, streets ,etc.) and that even if there are not any physical injuries from the attack there is most definitely a emotional factor that the rockets cause on the citizens.

The shelter next to the playground

Following the tour of Sderot, we were taken to a temporary settlement which was set up for one of the communities that was evacuated from Gaza in 2006 after the disengagement. For those who are unfamiliar with the disengagement plan, here is a quick summary. Then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided to take steps to advance the peace process by unilaterally disengaging from the Gaza Strip and remove every Israeli and Jew from the territory. The idea was to provide the Palestinians with land that they could begin to develop on their own and where they could work towards creating their own state beside that of Israel. There were major protests leading up to the disengagement as a large sector of the population believed that the disengagement would not advance peace, but lead to more terrorism. This has proven to be the case; after the disengagement the number of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip has in fact increased. In August of 2006, the IDF expelled, in some cases forcefully every last Jew living in Gaza from their homes and they were put in these temporary settlements before they were able to find permanent housing. After 6 years, many communities, like the one I visited still lives in these poorly designed and quickly built 'temporary' houses.

One woman gave us a first hand account of her story. She explained how she moved to Israel from the US and decided to settle in the Gaza Strip and farm the land. She talked about the good relations with her Arab neighbours and the normalcy of her life. She talked about her successful farming business and daily life. She discussed the beginnings of the terror - the cessation of relations with her Arab neighbours, the stabbings, murders and rockets. She talked about how the disengagement plan came about and her opposition to it. She then went on to tell us about the day that the army came to evict them from their communities and leave Gaza for good.