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IDF<br />
STUDY-TOUR<br />
It wouldn’t be fair to say the One Year Program is confined to the boundaries o f<br />
Mount Scopus. A group o f us broke the m yth o f the ‘ivory tow er’syndrome by signing up<br />
for a study tour with the Israel Defense Force. Since the army in Israel represents a large<br />
percentage o f the population, seeing what the army does outside the realm o f combat and<br />
how it interacts with the rest o f society, was an important learning experience.<br />
We were taken, with the assistance o f an army spokesperson, to a tank training base<br />
in central Israel, a paratrooper training school in the northern area, an officers training<br />
school near Jerusalem, and Givat Olga (Educational Institute for Socially Disadvantaged<br />
Youth). Apart from discussions at these different areas we were also given the opportunity<br />
to meet and talk with a member o f the Jewish resistance in Europe, and the former Chief<br />
Education Officer o f the army.<br />
The highlight o f the tour was when we attended ah inform al discussion with some<br />
pilots and army social workers.<br />
In general, the study tour which lasted three days provided us with not only deep<br />
insight about the p ilo t’s experiences, and m ilitary manoeuvers, but also filled us with a sense<br />
o f pride in the ‘force behind the nation’. Now, when / see the Israeli soldier in town, on the<br />
bus, in the store, with the gun over his or her uniformed shoulder, / feel / understand not<br />
ju st the soldier’s role, but the development and training which led to the fulfillm ent o f<br />
this role.<br />
Michael Harris<br />
York University<br />
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