The War in North: Prelude

I may discuss the recent war, but I'm not sure that I have anything new to add over and above what you read on CNN and FoxNews; I did not get called up, possibly a combination of me being a) in Tanks, not infantry, b) not a citizen, c) I forgot. But my old brigade fought in it. Although they were sent in only for the last week, that was plenty enough time for people I knew to die. All of the yeshiva guys I was drafted with made it, but here's the story of one of my friends who nearly didn't. He was in Rambam Hospital in Haifa, but then my friend's condition improved, and he got transferred to Tel-Aviv, where his father is a doctor. I had heard he's the only soldier in his ward, and was bored out of his mind, which is a good sign. I got the story the night of my engagement:

It's better to be the smallest of the lions than the largest of the mice. Itai, who was a tank commander, got put into his commander's commander's tank (the company commander) as a Loader - like me (that was his job before he went to commander's course). In tanks, you can never be overqualified. Having 4 tank commanders run a tank just means that the whole thing will be that much more efficient and powerful.

Anyway, he got put into this tank just for this mission: an emergency evacuation. Some paratroops had come under attack, and there were two wounded who could not be evacuated under fire (they were in the news). Itai's tank went in, with another tank that held back from the immediate area to cover them. They went in, drawing fire from everywhere - only that's the beauty of a tank, it's just darn bulletproof to small arms. Then a mortar landed on the hatch (it was opened in a defensive posture, that is, "just a crack" - otherwise, the mortar would have landed directly in the tank, killing everyone). That was bad, but not so bad, since mortars are generally anti-personnel, like 40 grenades worth of shrapnel. But tanks laugh off shrapnel. It tickles. In fact, in other theaters, American tanks have been known to fire anti-personnel rounds at each other if that other tank is getting swarmed by infantry. However, while the shrapnel did no damage to the people inside, it did knock out the swivel action of the turret.

Then Hezbollah-niks fired a Metis anti-tank missile at it. That wasn't good. It hit the front engine block (a brilliant Israeli innovation: put the engine in the front to protect the people inside), and managed to send shrapnel flying through the turret. The commander and the gunner are somewhat protected from that, as they have their targeting systems in front of them. Itai, the loader, broke his arm, and had two pieces of shrapnel lodged in his neck - one a few milimeters from his jugular, the other a few from his spine. The pain was incredible, despite the adrenaline rushing through him. Even so, he managed to get out the back (imagine exiting a car from the backseat through the trunk), and drag in the wounded soldier [the other had died of his wounds before they got there - I'm not sure if they got his remains out].

The [company] commander - who had been wounded in the eye by the missile - tied a rather pathetic dressing on Itai's neck to staunch the blood flow, which nevertheless saved his life. They got back to a safer position, and got Itai on a helicopter, as he fell unconscious from blood loss; they got him to Rambam hospital in Haifa.

Miraculously, the shrapnel missed the deadly things by that much. His arm is broken, and his neck is not so good, but he is alive, speaking, and thank God, now bored. Well, maybe. I was going to visit him on Sunday with Adena. I don't know what happened with the paratrooper.

UPDATE: I went to visit him in the hospital in Tel Aviv, the Sunday after he had been wounded, but he was already released. Once the critical areas were cleaned and his arm set, he could be said to have a mere fleshwound, and was sent home. thank God.

A Slice of Life from my Phone

After reading some sociological studies, I found myself amazed at the information they could tease out from the most mundane and random of sources. I hope this collection of SMS messages may provide a similar snapshot of my year, the undercurrents, etc. These are not 2nd-hand conveyances like all my other posts (See "Amitai's Introduction") -- these are primary sources removed in situ.

"I like the Daf Yomi shiur, I like the food, and the guys are very friendly, but if I don't exercise soon, I'm going to have a cow"
- To Orahn, from when I was in KBY pre-Army, morning, 21 JUN 05. What I really meant was that I didn't know anyone there, and I was going sitr-crazy.

"If you start sucking up to me, I'm going to fart on your precious hallot. You're not still in seminary, and from my french you can see I'm not yet a rabbi. I'm not mochel you, shorty. :p"
-To Rachel, after she said something really frum regarding our shabbat meal plans, and the hallot I graciously offered to bring, 24 JUN. And by "frum," I mean that I think she was insincere, since I know her for many years now.

"Loser, maybe i'm working on being a nicer person and being careful about what i say to people. You suck"
-Rachel, to me. So it seems I was right, but wrong. hatati.

"Pull my finger. Dinner will be me'en olam haba."
-To Rachel. I express my contrition.

"I realized that if I'm going to be a modern Orthodox philosopher, I'm going to have to learn all of Shas. [What's up with] you?"
-To Orahn, 25 JUN

"Hormones acting up from [lack of] sleep, bad cold, and sabbath's stimuli...I am going to take a cold shower and go learn, it helps. I passed my time online by eating, reading 3 different things, and random mass SMS'ing. Keep me posted." 3rd JULY

"ah, hormones. I am sitting in a hallway full of lithe 18 year old girls"
-***, on his visit to the army base to defer his service, 3rd JULY

"R' M.J. Broyde, Journal of Halakha and Contemporary Society 39: showering on Yom Tov clearly mutar, smoking 99% assur. Gotta love yeshiva!"
-To myself, 6th JULY

"I just saw a 'Tobishi' TV for sale, and I nearly pooped laughing. Tell me if you ever spy a Magnabox or Sorny."
-Mass mailed 10th JULY - If you've never seen that particular episode of The Simpsons, you'll never understand.

"Only in subjectivity is there Decision. To seek objectivity is to be in error. -Kierkegaard"
-mailed to 4 selected friends, 13th JULY - this is all pre-army reading...

"Note that Kermit's girlfriend was also a greedy capitalist swine..."
-To Batya Rutter, one the subject of pinko Kermit's song "The Rainbow Connection"

"Mass mail is so 2004! Mass TEXT messaging is all the rage! You too lass..."
-To Debra Moher, a brit. I don't remember why I sent this. 3rd OCT

"Ah, it's good to be back where I belong."
-Me, to Orahn on returning to the army after weekend leave. Can you believe I was so gung ho? Well, by the end, I had lost -- and regained -- my gungy hoedom. 20th NOV

"Deep Thoughts, with Jack Handy: I was on shmirah and suddenly wondered: Why is there a disproportionate dearth of [God-fearing, of course, but also] cute girls amongst my NCSY [peers]?"
-Me, to Orahn, bored outta my mind near, not on, the Lebanese border. 1am, 22nd DEC. Present readersjip excluded, of course.

"I have actually thought about that before. pretty girls are less kind?
-Or*hn, 22 December

"I realize that this is a potentially touchy question, but are you home for Shabbat?"
-Me, to fellow soldier serving in Nahal infantry, Dave Rosenbaum. 17th FEB. It's always nice to get together.

"No. Okay!" -Dave R., 17th Feb

"Spanks alot" -Dave R., ditto

"It's hilarious. They can't understand a word I'm saying on the radio."
-Me, to fellow North American tank soldiers Uri and Mike. I think it speaks for itself. 19th FEB.

"I'm sure they think its funny too. (the pazamnikim came! Help!)"
-Uri Westrich, 19 Feb. They might have thought it was funny, but they weren't laughing with us, Uri... ;)

"Honk if you'll be up at 2am..."
-Me, to a girl I dated while in the army. 19th Feb

"I finished thinking through the implementation of Church & State in Israel. Can you give me something else to think about on shmirah?"
-Me, before I completely caved into reading on duty, to my intellectual friends. 21st Feb

"Your Daily Moment of Zen: I just taught an Israeli soldier How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Try it [yourself], and have [your Israeli] perform for your sick friend. She'll laugh that bird flu right back to the Galut where it came from! ;)"
-Me, to that same girl I was dating. Aren't I a smoothie?...Don't answer that. 27 Feb.

"the active future of the Jewish ppl lies in this country.it's fast forward vs rewind.the upward spiral leads to Israel i wanna be a part of that.:)"
-introducing Batsheva, 8 March.

"As long as the Greater Jewish Nation [i.e., that lives in Israel] is housed and taught in buildings called Azrieli, Wexner, and Schottenstein, then perhaps they [in the Galut] deserve to be included in that label [of a GJ Nation]?"
-Me, to Batsheva, again, on shmirah.

"Can you get me Continental Airline's Israel number pronto?"
-Me, to any friends with internet, 15 March

"Continental 03 511-6777" -Uriel Weisz, 15 March

"Hey amitai! Dont think i've filled u in on recent events though its possible word has spread...I got engaged 2 Shalom Ozarowski lastg wk.Hope ur doing well!"
-Bryna Billauer, 16 March. Thanks for keeping me in the loop...a week later! That's how it is in the army barmy.

"Wonderful! May it be under a favorable Zodiac sign [be-sha'a tovah]! When will be the first in the series of Free Food Fests?"
-Me, to Bryna Billauer, 16 March, on her engagement

"Next week's leave has been cancelled. We'll be doing tank drills instead. So I won't be home, really."
-Me, to Pritzker and Batsheva, 16 March

"Can you look up "phronesis" for me?"
-To Orahn, 16th March. I had no dictionary with me. [shrug]

"Amitai (my new #)! You're very trusting with other people's numbers"
-Me, to Miriam Deutsch, 20 March, on giving me a friend's phone number without knowing she was giving it to me, since I had SMS'ed her from a new phone #.

"The bad reception in our armored car makes it difficult to be expressive. Thanks for the info, seeya there, tfu tfu tfu. :)"
-Me, to Miriam Detusch, 20 March - I sent an SMS because the steel plates were breaking up the call.

"Mass Text - I'm off to my bro's BM in the US; if you want a book or H&H bagel or Leatherman, etc, just email me!"
-Me, to everyone on my list, 23 March

"You, quite frankly, rock, my dear."
-Me, to Batsheva, on baking me cookies since I am a soldier, 4 May. Very patriotic of her.

"What happened to Midnight Musings [sic]?"
-From Sarah Zacks, 6 July. ha!

"Hey flexi, whats up? I'm sure you can tell who this is. So what do u click to make the 'www' and '.com' appear instead of it? peace out brother"
-From Dov Jacobs, 10 July

"I see you're beginning to see how the army works. What do you need from the store? Also, did you get the lease approved [from the army] yet?"
-Pritzker, 28 August. This on fenegiling out a long weekend from the army.

"635 smooches" -Dena Weiss, timeless

"Shmuel Eliyahu was niftar 3 hours ago."
-Orahn, 30 Sept. He was a highschool friend of ours who got cancer. He will always be missed.

"o,don't worry,ill have some food for u.just cus u were part of the best machal ever.machal '03 was definitely the best!u like coke too?"
-Dov Jacobs, 7th October

"Your sandals (and 2 stray towels) r still here. Ask people if they lost a towel (they'll need to return it when they finish the army)"
-Yeshayahu Hurvitz, 19th November. UPDATE: I just got my sandals back, 9 months later.

"My nephew just had a brit. They called him Amitai!"
-Debra Moher, 19th December. And she immediately thinks of me... [Another punny one: a brit for a brit]

"You are definitely something else....."
-Dave Rosenbaum, 24 Dec. You heard it here first.

"Hey! Heard you're protecting a strategically vital mall. Can i call whenever?"
-Merm, 25th Dec , on visiting Israel. I was protecting a vitally strategic mall.

"U 2. hope u'll call sometime, and come whenever u want..."
-Sari Moskowitz Holz, 27 Dec. We worked together on Torah Tours, before she became a Holz.

"Party was really great, we'll show you pictures. When you coming home next?"
-Pritzker, 7 Jan. No. Okay! Spanks alot!

"How did you get a date with your mom.She is in america isnt she in america"
-Zecht, 2 Feb. According to Zecht, everything has to do with Your Mom. It's funny because it's true...

"Please, brother! This was my mitzva, for me. Blessed me His name, and may only Good things come your way." [trans. from Hebrew]
-random soldier, 2 Feb, who returned my tefillin left on an army transport. Ooops.

"I'm a spoon i'm a knife. Good shabes!" -Gropey, 3 Feb.
I taught him that camp cheer when he was bored out of his gourd on shabbat shmirah. And his name isn't Groupy, or Gropey, but Jeh'rufi, a temani.

"Impossible timing. Still proud of you." -Dave R., 8 Feb. Fellow soldier from the US, couldn't make my tekes.

"Not in yerushalayim but DEF In tel av...Interestd? Love to have u! :-)" -Bobo, 1 March. Sackler friend. Apparantly with benefits.

"You win." -Ariel Irwin, 1 March.

"Um...Amitai? Very sneaky..." -Rebecca Winter, 2 March. I win again.

"That's great - take me with you!" -Elisha L., 20th April. When he heard I'm getting out May 7th instead of Yom Kippur, like him. He liked the army, then didn't like it, and last I spoke to him, he was just tired. Great soldier though.

"Thank G-d don't worry i'm letting you off for the day we'll do it some other time [that] you have time[.] thank you by the way[,] again i truly appreciate your help" -Abbey, 10 May. Out of the army, and I'm learning Torah again!

"For sure. but id call it Superhero chug" -Jonny Steiner, 10 May. Out of the army, and I'm going back to Camp Stone again!

This was just a sampling, but I think it reflects something. Discuss.

War in the North - To Be [Drafted] or Not?

Due to the conjunction of various zodiac arrangements, and the alignment of a few pesky planets (including the deadly Blood Star, Mars), I am in Israel, not yet a citizen, at a time of war. Yes, for you folks out there in the Diaspora, this one is being called The War in The North right now, since most people sleep in underground shelters in, well, every part of the country North of Tel Aviv (i.e., 40% of the population). While the UN surprisingly supports us, so does Europe (shocker); but the big surprise is that Saudi Arabia and Egypt, etc. are also, if not supporting us, criticizing Hezbollah (pronounced Ḥezb-Allah = Party of God). But all this you can read in the papers, at least the Israeli ones.

So to go straight to the point, Should I get redrafted and go fight? Here are some clues to this tricky riddle that I haven’t answered yet:

• Even though I finished my service, I am still “in the army” because I am in yeshiva. Guys like me get called up first. We’re called “shalatnikim” since we’re in a state of “shala"t.” That just means we're in the yeshiva part of our service.
  
• Even though I have 1 year left of “yeshiva/shalat” service technically, there is an automatic reduction clause that allows me to leave to go to school, in my case, YU. I just have to show them letters from YU proving it.
• Part of the reason I joined, even though it was for a short time only, was because in the event of war, when Israel needs every man it can get, I would be trained to help on the front, not flop around limply in a bunker.
• Although nearly all the active duty tank units have been mobilized, that “nearly all” excludes my brigade. We’re still guarding highways like reserve infantry.

Pro:

1. This is a war,
2. and they are calling up [some of] the reserves.

Con:

1. Israel doesn’t exactly need “every man she can get.” Me going to serve means that other soldiers get that many more furloughs.
2. Unless it becomes existential, and they call up all the reserves, I’ll be getting out anywhere between August 7^th and August 17^th anyway. That’s 10-20 days of service in a regular (non-reserves) unit, minus ~2 days for retraining – if they bother with that.
3. I won’t be serving in Lebanon in a tank, which they might conceivably need more skilled personnel (like myself) for – rather, my brigade is still doing infantry detail, which can be done by anyone, and is actually peacetime duty, so I’m not being called up for war-related reasons.
4. Adena and I have little time together as it is.

In the end, I think reasons Con #1-3 only have merit when they justify #4, since that to me qualifies as a hefsed merubah – an irreplaceable loss. That is, although it is a melḥemet mitzvah (defense of the land), I am not being called up for those actions; and the army can repay the lost R&R to its regular soldiers after things quiet down. The sooner I get out, the more money the army saves.

UPDATE: A few conditions have changed in the few days that have gone by since I began this entry.

1. My brigade just got moving orders earlier this week: they leave for the North today. (pro)
2. I just checked with KBY: I was not called up despite this: and even if I was called up, “my brigade” is no longer mine. If I rejoin the army, it will be with a newly formed Shalatnik Brigade. (con)
3. The war is being taken to the enemy (and heaven help us, their human shields). Whatever you read in the papers, this is not [yet] an existential threat where absolute numbers are crucial. Rather, this is a physical threat that does not threaten the existence of the State of Israel. It may also be a politically existential threat, in the sense that if we appease Hezbollah and Iran now, they may go so far as to actively try to destroy us that much sooner. But for political wars, you don’t need absolutely “every man you can get.” (con)

And so the question has changed: should I fight the red tape in order to get myself drafted, to be sent North? That, in the end, is a simpler question, which I think I can safely answer: No. The seductive machismo of being able to “tell the grandkids” that I fought in a war, that I can make speaking engagements at Manhattan synagogues for seudat shelishit, that I can fire my machine gun at The Enemy, and rough it out in my air-conditioned tank and take Polaroids…all these are the reasons why I did not join the army when I was 18 (see earlier posts).

Keep in mind that the halakhic analysis of “what kind of war is it?” does not determine whether a particular war is just or not; rather, it reveals to us whether it is so. And so one does not hide behind those long-established reasons: one heeds them.