First Orders

Or, in Hebrew: צו ראשון (tzav reeshon)

As many of you know, most Israelis - girls as well as boys - serve in the Israel Defense Forces starting at age 18. Boys usually serve for three years, girls for two.

Today, Liat received her first orders from the army. It's basically a call up to come to a physical exam and a written exam, with the option for an interview. Most kids get their first orders once they've hit sixteen and a half. Liat's half birthday was on Sunday, and she's been haunting the mailbox all week. She doesn't need to appear until June, but she's thrilled to have gotten the callup.

While she won't actually be inducted into the army until she hits 18; this is the first step in the process leading up to that. Over the years, she has gone from saying she doesn't want to serve in the army at all (about age 10) to insisting she wants to try to get into an elite unit, and rejecting the idea of doing any kind of desk work (such people are scornfully referred to as "jobniks"). I am happy she is looking forward to the experience, and a bit nervous that she wants a serious role (whatever that may turn out to be) instead of something that would enable her to come home every night instead of living on a base.

It's going to be a very interesting experience, for all of us.