Conference taveng::bagels

    I don't know very much about the ZAHAL, but I can try to explain
    what I do know.
    
    Firstly, not only Jews have to serve in the ZAHAL.  There are many
    Drusim and I'd assume Christians also.  I don't know if Muslims
    have to serve.
    
    Most people enter the army at age eighteen (both men and women).
    Some people can get a deferment if they want to go to college before
    entering the army but most serve in the army first and then go onto
    college or work.  I think women serve for two years and men for
    three except in the case where the job they hold in the army requires
    a lot of special training(pilots, intelligence, officers); for this
    they might be asked to sign on for a few extra months or years.     
    
    I don't have the slightest idea as to what the Israeli government's
    policy on religious minorities in the ZAHAL is.  I hope one of Bagels' 
    Israeli noters will field this question.

    Ruben,
    
    It's true that Zahal is not composed entirely of Jews.  The most
    numerous minority in Zahal is the Druse.  In fact, there is an entire
    brigade made up of Druse soldiers, and they're a front-line unit
    (at least they existed when I was in).  The other unit of the defense
    forces in which you'll encounter minorities is the Mishmar Hagavul,
    the Border Guard.
    
    Just about 90-95% of the population must serve in Zahal.  Whether
    you are fit for combat duty (Kosher Kravi, not like food-Kosher,
    but from the same root) is determined by what's called your physical
    profile.  Those that are judged not fit for combat (Kosher Lekui,
    literally in English - having a handicap) are assigned to rear-echelon
    duties (supply, transportation, etc.).
    
    The amount of time you serve is determined by age.  According to
    my memory, 18-24 have to serve the full three years; 24-27(8?) have
    to do 18 months.  Anybody being drafted over that age goes into
    what's called Shlav Bet.  Shlav Bet consists of about two months
    active duty, one month for training, then the other for your
    assignment.
    
    Of course, when you leave active duty, you haven't separated from
    Zahal entirely.  You are then called to Miluim (Reserves) on the
    average of about 30 days a year (could be more depending on your
    rank, responsibility, unit, etc.).  For some Israelis miluim can
    be a vacation, for others, especially for those that own their own 
    business, it can be one big pain in the tachat.  This goes on until
    age 55.
    
    David
    
    

    Thanks for the answers. But I have a doubt now: do the Druses speak
    Arabic or Hebrew or both of 'em? Which are the official languages
    in Israel? Are there any family restrictions? I mean, suppose you've
    got a family with three little children. Are you still supposed
    to attend your military duties? Does the State take care of them
    (school and the like?) Because I would like to know how do the Israelis
    manage a situation in which both parents must attend the fron-line
    and leave home unattended.
    
    We had the discussion in Spain, but main concern was how to manage
    this familiar situation when both wife and husband are to go to
    the Army (Government subsidies were found unaffordable for our government).

I'll try to answer some of your questions.  I don't have any _direct_
personal experience in all this, mind you, but anyway...

>do the Druses speak Arabic or Hebrew or both of 'em? 
Israeli Druse speak both of them.  'Druse' is an ethno-religious category.
There are Lebanese Druse and Israeli Druse, and I think there are
Syrian Druse.  Lebanese and Syrian Druse don't speak Hebrew.  I expect
that Hebrew is not the family language for Israeli Druse either. But
they do learn Hebrew, usually very well.  So do Israeli Arabs for that
matter (but not Arabs in the occupied territories).

>Which are the official languages in Israel? 
Hebrew is the 'real' official language in Israel.  The central
gov't operates in Hebrew, the army operates in Hebrew, the language of
instruction is Hebrew, etc. etc.  However in recognition of the Arabic-
speaking minority, a few things are done.  The state-owned television
station broadcasts in Arabic part of the day, and tv-shows in English
have subtitles in Hebrew and Arabic.  I would guess that if you
live in an Israeli-Arab town, you can get most of your municipal/bureaucratic
business done in Arabic, although certainly not all forms and documents are
translated from Hebrew into Arabic.  (I think that Israeli-Arab schools
primarily teach in Hebrew, but they get alot of Arabic language and literature
instruction as well.  Am not sure on this last point. Could be the reverse.)

A certain amount of emphasis is placed on teaching Arabic as a second language
in Israeli-Jewish schools, usually starting in the early grades (maybe 3rd or 
4th).  However, this instruction is not taken seriously by the kids or by
Israeli culture, so most of them don't learn much more than how to swear in
Arabic.  They do learn English, however, which is a passport to higher
education, travel outside of Israel, etc.

>Are there any family restrictions? I mean, suppose you've
    got a family with three little children. Are you still supposed
    to attend your military duties? Does the State take care of them
    (school and the like?) Because I would like to know how do the Israelis
    manage a situation in which both parents must attend the fron-line
    and leave home unattended.
Never happens.
For men, it basically doesn't matter what your family situation is.
It's relatively rare in Israel for draft-age boys to be married.
However, immigrants often are married, and have children.  They still
serve their time in the army.   Having children seems to make no difference
in the amount of reserve duty that men are required to do.  In the case
of immigrants, its their age that determines how much time, not their
family situation.

I've never known of any women in Israel who marry right after high school
and then get drafted -- certainly not of any who have children and get
drafted.  Also, women with children don't get called up for reserve
duty.  I have also never heard of married immigrant women getting
called up, whether they have children or not.  

I don't know what the exact number is, but overall, I think that
only about 60% of the Israeli-Jewish girls who graduate high-school serve
in the army.  I have never heard of an Israeli-Arab
or Israeli-Druse woman in the army.  I think that you could count the
number of Israeli-Arab boys in the army on your thumbs. I don't know
what percent of Israeli-Druse boys serve in the army.  ( I think it _is_
a significant percent.)  I would guess that ~90% of all physically-qualified
Israeli-Jewish boys serve in the army.  

    
>    We had the discussion in Spain, but main concern was how to manage
    this familiar situation when both wife and husband are to go to
    the Army (Government subsidies were found unaffordable for our government).

I don't see that husband/wife-ness makes a difference, but fatherhood/motherhood
could.  In Israel, the basic decision seems to be that motherhood (and maybe
wifehood -- I don't know) cancels military obligations, but fatherhood 
or husband-hood doesn't.  

My two agorot. 
The official languages of Israel are Hebrew and Arabic. Married
women do NOT serve in the Army whether olim or sabra. As far as ethnic
minorities in Israel are concerned (Arabs,Circassians, Druse, Christians,etc...)
all of them serve in Zahal except Arabs. The reason why some minorities
serve and others not we can cover in a separate note in case anyone is
interested in that debate. The Druse, for example as was pointed out in
an earlier note, serve in special front-line units, as do the Beduins and
the Circassians.
It makes no difference whether you are married or not, however if you are
an only son and the army finds out they will try and move you to a non-combat
unit if you are part of one (you may refuse).
Army duty is three years, Navy and Air Force is five. Call up (milhouim)
varies depending on unit, age and the current political situation. Call
ups during the Lebanon imbroglio went up to over 90 days for some of my
friends. As to whether this is a "vacation" as someone pointed out earlier,
we obviously weren't in the same units... The one thing we will agree I
hope, is that the food wasn't too hot,
             Greg

    RE: .-1
    
    Military duty is three years for both the army, air force, and navy.
    As a previous reply mentioned, you are obligated to serve additional
    time only if you are sent to special training (pilots, officers,
    etc.).  During the additional service time (called "sherut keva")
    you are payed a real salary, as opposed to the pittance payed to
    recruits during the first three years (about $30 a month in 1981).
    The amount of time you have to serve each year in reserve duty is
    dependen on your rank.  Privates serve 30 days, non-coms 45, and
    officers 60 days per year.
    
    Women serve two years instead of three, and do NOT serve in combat
    capacities.  Women who are married or have children are exempt
    from service.
                                                     
                                                         
    Steve
    (who served in the Israeli air force from 1978-1981)
    

    RE: .4
    
    A small nit gained from personal experience.
    
    Immigrants who arrive in their mid-twenties are supposed to serve 18
    months compulsory army service. If married then 12 months and between
    1-2 children 120 days. More than two children or middle to late
    forties, 60 days. ( My third was born while I was serving my 120 days
    !!!! ). These figures are in theory determined by the family status at
    time of arrival in the country, but in practice are determined at time
    of call up. I am deliberately vague concerning ages as one soon learns
    EVERYTHING is negotiable, you just need to know how much , and when to
    argue. 
    
    Concerning financial status. Anyone serving in miluim (reserve duty)
    gets his "money" from the National Insurance, up to a certain ceiling
    its the full salary. if self-employed its as much as you declare your
    income to be. The 120 day compulsory army service fulls under the
    category of miluim as far as the National Insurance folks are
    concerned. 
              
    RE : 3 Married women are not obligated to serve in the army. If a woman
    soldier gets married during her service, she will usually be allowed to
    drop-out ( resign her commission ???).
    
    Monty
    

The previous replies basically say it all (and correct). Just a few more
exceptions that I know of:

o  If you go to university BEFORE the army service (what's known as
   "Atuda Akademait" = "academic reserves"), then you do "miluim" on
   your academic vacations, and finally signon for some more years in
   order to serve "close" to your profession. For women - if they choose
   this option they still have to serve even if married. I'm not sure,
   but I think that women with children still have to serve if they
   learned medicin (which takes 7 years of study). In all of the above
   cases you usually start with officer's school and only then proceed
   with your final assignment.

o  There is an unclear rule about orthodox religous (?) jewish men, who
   are given the option (which is always taken) not to serve. There is
   also an unclear rule about girls who "declare" being religous. Some
   go to "Sherut Leumi" (= "national service") instead. This may include
   serving in a hospital or something (I really don't know all about this).

o  Many jobs (including Digital Israel) take care of your salary and keep
   paying you the same amount exactly when you're on miluim.

Nitsan.

>   There is an unclear rule about orthodox religous (?) jewish men, who
>   are given the option (which is always taken) not to serve. 

This is NOT true!!!!!

Orthodox men who are studying in a yeshiva are allowed to request
a DEFFERMENT.  Many do not, it is NOT "always taken".  There are 
NO exemptions for males based on religious reasons. 

There are a number of crack, front line, tank and artillery units 
made up mostly of "hesder" yeshiva students.  These are people 
on a combined program of military service and yeshiva studies.  
It usually spans a period of five years.

Arabs are not drafted into the Israeli army (assuming that one does not
consider Druse and Circassians to be Arabs).  However, it is not uncommon
for Beduin (as opposed to non-Beduin Arab) men to *volunteer* for service.
To a significant degree, this probably is due to the benefits, tangible
and otherwise, that this can get them later in life.

As a side note, a few months ago one of the local papers ran a photograph
of what was claimed to be the first Arab woman to serve in the Israeli army.
Upon seeing the picture, my immediate reaction was that the photograph was
published more because of her looks than because of her status.