Before we get into the questions, let me share a link to an article which was written about me in the Jewish Advocate which is a Jewish Community Newspaper in Boston:
http://www.thejewishadvocate.com/this_weeks_issue/news/?content_id=5268
Question #1
Ilan What are you doing?
Well what I am doing is two-fold. The first thing I am doing (or for that matter have done already) is make Aliyah and move to Israel. I haven't denounced my American Citizenship or anything like that for that matter (don't plan on it either). So I have re-located myself, my fiances, my health insurance and civic duties from America where they have been for so many years already to Israel where they only existed in the mid 1980's when I was too young to remember. Israel is now my home and place of residence for the future.
In addition to making Aliyah I am fulfilling the Israeli civic duty of mandatory military service. If I were to move to Israel before the age of 25 I would have to do at least six months of military training and service. I've gone ahead and chosen to do the full three years even though at my age (23 which is old) I would only be required to do 6 months. Not everything in the military is combat based. Having a high education background such as mine would put me in a good spot to work professionally during my army service in the fields of engineering and public health within the army. I am purposefully chosen to decline that option and go with the standard combat service that stigmatizes the Israeli Defense Forces (Infantry, Tanks, Paratroopers, Uzis, and M16s)
In Summary: I am moving from America to Israel. In Israel I will perform my civic duty and serve in the IDF for three years. I did NOT move to Israel just to serve in the army.
Question #2
Ilan Why are you doing this?
Again on this questions let's make some order in how we are answering what.
Why am I moving to Israel? I am moving to Israel and making Aliyah to Israel because from a very early age, Israel has been a part of me and I a part of it (that is at least what I like to tell myself). I was born in Israel, my roots are in Israel and the region and I am one of those people that believes that the place and true home of all Jewish People is in Israel.
Everything I just said is meant to show and highlight the fact that leaving America and coming to Israel has almost all to do with Israel and very little to do with America.
America is an amazing country with so many amazing people, cultures, policies, freedoms and ideals. It is a country like no other in the world. I loved my time in America and America was soo good to me.
The time I spent in America was great and rewarding. I lived a privileged life surrounded by wonderful people. I get along very very well with my parents who I love very much and my younger brother as well. We are a tight-knit small 4 person family who saw many good times together. When I went to college at Tufts in Boston I truly found the most amazing people who I KNOW will go on to be the next shakers and movers of the world. I had a group of guy friends second to none and a group of the loveliest, classiest most understanding female friends as well. If I wasn't lucky enough, I went on to meet a girl that I would fall madly deeply in love with and form this amazing special connection with her which I truly feel that only the two of us can understand. A relationship which has undergone bumps and bruises but is strong enough to transcend them as well as any geographical barriers.
Read the latter and realize how great it was for me and how hard it is for me to leave this all behind. I was not lonely, or sad or poor. I wasn't lost or wandering. I was content. I wasn't running away from anything but rather running toward something; to Israel. And whether it was right or not or whether this is my Achilles' heal, Israel came before it all.
In Summary: Leaving was so hard but it was inevitable. It was/is who I am and I truly believe that as difficult as it may be, if you really understood me, if you really 'got' me, you understand it too.
Question #3
Ilan When did you decide to do all this?
When did I decide I wanted to move to Israel? I really believe that the answer to this was a long time ago when I first left Israel as a child. I don't think it ever clicked in my little stubborn head that America was home and Israel was no longer that home. There are countless stories my family tells of times when I would either pack a small suitcase as a 5 year old and ask when we were going home to Israel to others which I'd be glad to share if people want. The stories exist, the path and destiny were written and here I am today. Most recently though, I decided to move to Israel this summer once I would have finished my studies at Tufts and in which the next step would be the "real world". I decided that this time would be the most appropriate to pick up and move. But the army also had a role in this. If I left any later, let's say at age 30, then army service would become less meaningful at such an "old" age.
When did I decide that I wanted to go to the army? I get asked this question alot too. People want to know when I broke the news to my parents and how they reacted to it. I am not sure there ever was one such instance. What I do know is that during my bar-mitzva speech (which I heard was pretty damn good if I do say so myself...I mean I did write it...) at age 13, I wrote a line in there that said that when I become of age at 18, I too would serve to defend Israel just like countless biblical figures had done and countless family members had done (obviously I have a copy of this speech somewhere safe). Apparently from that point on, it was in my head that I would be serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. Going back to the original point of my parents, I truly feel that they knew from that point on (age 13) that their oldest son would be serving in the Israeli Army. That may have been the time when they had to "take and deal " with the news. It was just a matter of time after that...I guess they can always look back and be happy that they managed to get me to delay it for 5 years as I'll be entering the IDF at age 23 instead of 18.
Summary: I was born to return to Israel (just like the Jewish people in someways) and the army is very strongly correlated with that. This did not just drop out of nowhere.
Question #4
Okay so let's say your survive three years in the IDF, then what Ilan?
It would be foolish and untruthful of me (which defeats the purpose of this blog) to tell you that I know exactly what I want to do when my three years are up. How could I know? I will have been put through so much, seen so much and probably done so much that could influence the rest of my life during these three years. My official stance and answer to this question is that up until the day before my release from the army I will not know where my mind set will be and where it will put me out into the world. I will of course share my thoughts and mindsets with you throughout the journey but I can make no guarantees and I hope you can understand and respect that.
Upcoming Post: I'm going to Eilat this Sunday - Thursday (Southern most point in Israel - Resort on the Red Sea), and also my political commentaries!
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