Meet Real Soldiers From The IDF Telling Their Story

Itzik

Itzik is an alumnus of The StandWithUs Israel Fellowship of 2009 at Bar Ilan University. He has been active in many Bar Ilan organizations, including its Student Union, where he served as CEO and represented Israel in debates with the European Student Union. He has a BA in Political Science and Communications, is pursuing his MBA at Bar Ilan University and is currently the head of the department for social involvement at the National Union of Israeli Students. Itzik served in the 92^nd Battalion of the Shimshon unit of the IDF and was active during the Second Intifada.



Ranya

Rania, born and raised in Daliyat Elkarmel, belongs to the Druze community in Northern Israel. Rania has received a diploma in Biotechnology and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences at Bar Ilan University. During the course of her studies, she became a StandWithUs Fellow for Public Diplomacy. Rania sees giving back to the community as her top priority and has been involved in many community and volunteer programs. Today Rania is the non-Jewish coordinator of the Kdam-Atidim Project, fulfilling students’ academic needs. She is also Trainer of Information Systems in one of Israel's leading high-tech companies, Ness Technologies. Rania and her family are proud Israeli citizens, both her brothers and father served in the IDF. She is proud to represent her country, and her story is one that distinctly portrays Israel's social diversity.



Jossi

Jossi is currently pursuing a LLB Law degree at Tel Aviv University and has been involved in various missions representing Israel and promoting Israel education. He has served as the LGBT contact at the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles, spoken on behalf of StandWithUs, and been active in the student body at Lester University in the UK. Jossi served in the CoGat Unit of the IDF and was a personal liaison between many international representatives and the IDF. 



Lital

Lital was born in Ashqelon, a coastal city in Southern Israel. She served as a combat soldier in the Border Police Unit of the IDF. Lital is an alumnus of the StandWithUs Israel Fellowship of 2010 at Tel Aviv University. She has a BA in social sciences from the Open University and today is a journalist for various media outlet, including TV and newspapers. Lital is proud of her service in the IDF, which she strongly believes is portrayed falsely in media around the world. Lital considers it a duty and honor to contribute whatever she can to her country, which led her to choose service in the border police unit.  She served in checkpoints, stations aimed at thwarting terrorist attacks—a position usually held by male IDF soldiers.



Shai

Shai is an alumnus of the StandWithUs Israel Fellowship at the Interdisciplinary Center. During the Second Intifada, Shai served in an elite unit: the Givati Infantry Brigade. He was responsible for the lives of countless soldiers and many times had to decide whether to fight terrorists who were hiding behind innocent civilians. Shai is a graduate of the Interdisciplinary Center and is pursuing his MA in Organizational Consulting.



Yinon

Inon is a 25 year-old law and government student. He served as a lieutenant in the Golani brigade for four years and now serves in the IDF reserves. He fought in the second Lebanon War in 2006 leading troops in the battle against Hizbollah. Inon recounts how he and his unit were in combat with Hizbollah terrorists in Lebanon when they saw an elderly woman shouting out in pain. As he and a medic approached her in an attempt to treat her, they realized she was wired to a suicide bomb belt and was being used by Hizbollah as a human trap for the soldiers. "This is what we are up against," says Inon.




Lior

Lior is a second year Law student at IDC Herzeliya. He tells of a time he was manning a long-distance nightvision camera watching over a no-man's area when two people were spotted there. Though they were obviously targets determined by both ground and air surveillance, the decision to engage was repeatedly negative.



Gabe

Gabe, a StandWithUs Israel fellow and a student at the Interdisilonary Ceenter in Herzeliya, came to Israel when he was 18 in order to serve in the IDF. He served as a squad Commander in the Paratroopers unit of IDF.



Orit

Orit, a Hebrew University graduate and alumnus of The StandWithUs Israel fellowship, served as a medic, one of the few females assigned to the West Bank.  She was confronted with having to save the life of a terrorist who had orchestrated an attack that killed 21 civilians in a Tel Aviv restaurant.



Noam

Noam, age 24, is a Law Student in Tel Aviv University. He serves as an officer in the Givati Unit. Noam speaks about the risk he and his soldiers dealt with in order to avoid any innocent casualties. Despite the intentions of the Hamas, he and his team did the best to avoid any unecessary harm.

 


Nina

Nina is 24 years old and studies government at university. She served as a commander of a combat medical course in the Israeli army for almost three years. She attends IDF reserve duty for more than a month each year at the Medic Division of the Home Front Command and was called up during Israel's recent campaign against Hamas in Gaza. She says that in training, IDF medics are taught "medicine first," even when faced with treating a badly injured terrorist over their fellow IDF soldiers.