Negotiating the Uniform: Youth Attitudes towards Military Service in Israel

Abstract

Military service is one of the key milestones in Jewish Israelis’ transition to adulthood. Given the dominant role of the military in Israeli society, an understanding of young adults’ attitude towards the importance of the military and the nature of their service is needed. Based on 44 group interviews with 132 Jewish Israeli high school students, the study follows the differential attitude of youths towards compulsory military service, along socioeconomic lines. It concludes that (a) despite changes in Israeli society, young people still consider soldiers as the ultimate models of heroism, and view military service as a necessary component of normative citizenship and (b) they negotiate the nature and content of their military service based on its expected contribution to future mobility opportunities. The findings indicate that within the shared cultural script of the military’s importance, alternative paths play out without directly challenging the dominant consensus within Israeli society.

Soldiers' Perceptions and Expectations of Converting Military Capital—The Cases of Israeli and British Militaries*☆

“…The literature indicates that Israeli soldiers perceive military service as a means to personal development but also as a stepping stone to professional experience (Girsh, 2018). The findings of the research revealed that the perception of military service and the expectation of Israeli combat soldiers to convert acquired military capital were similar to those of British combat soldiers and soldiers without professional certification, that is, with no conversion rate to labor market.…”

Weaponized volunteering in schools: The discourse of volunteering and pre-military education in Israeli high schools

“…The idea of service for the society and state is instrumental in achieving this. This is also evident in Girsh’s (2019) analysis of Jewish Israeli youth’s attitudes toward their prospective military service, seeing it ‘as a necessary component of their normative citizenship’ (p. 304). While this is typical for the republican discourse of civic education, this study also exposes the liberal stance that is entangled in the notion of a ‘meaningful service’.…”

“…In the Israeli case what is often neglected from both discourses is a critical point of view toward the militaristic ethos (Eastwood, 2017; Girsh, 2019; Lemish, 2003). However, negation of a critical stance in civic education, and specifically regarding social injustices such as racism and inequality, is not unique (Banks, 2017; Snir and Eylon, 2017).…”

Israeli soldiers' intentions and actions toward seeking mental health help: Barriers and facilitators

“…The study was approved by the IDF Human Research Review Board and by the Committee of Human Subject Research of the Medical Corps Helsinki Committee (No. 1987(No. -2019.…”

“…The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are a unique setting for examining the matter of seeking mental health treatment. Given that service in the IDF is mandatory, it is a socialization milestone in Jewish Israelis' transition to adulthood (Girsh, 2019 ; Mayseless & Scharf, 2003 ). Thus, young Israeli soldiers may avoid seeking help for fear this could lower their medical profile and interfere with their military future (e.g., combat jobs, becoming officers, and proceeding to career service).…”