Coincidentally, both of these photos were printed in BaMahane Magazine on Sept 2, the English date on which I was born and on which , seventeen years later, I first arrived in Eretz Yisrael.
Cuz there is no such thing as a coincidence.
The first picture is of the Rav of the Human Resources department of the army - every unit has a Rav (or two or ten).
The second picture is of the most recent graduates of the IDF Volunteers' Basic Training. Our army is there not only to protect our Holy Land and protect Jews around the world. Our Army is also our melting pot, integration into Israeli society and in many cases, an introduction to Jewish identity (eg. Nativ Course for Olim, more on that BEH another time). It is also a very important part of an Israeli young adult's sense of self. Many a high school drop out has discovered his good qualities in his army placement. The "kids" in this volunteer training course include a girl in a wheelchair, several young adults with cochlear implants, and others with varying levels of hearing impairment, a bunch of kids with Celiac disease who became each other's support group, and some young folk with other physical differences, chronic illnesses or limitations.
When a child is born in Israel, the parents always have this hope that by the time he or she turns 18, there will be peace, and the child won't have to pledge allegiance to the nation with a rifle under her Tanach. But when a child cannot walk or talk, the parents can only dream what when he turns 18, he will get his chance to put on that olive-green outfit, hold his Tanach and rifle in one hand and salute his Commanding Officer with the other hand. That he will learn to sign-sing haTikva. That the army kitchens will be able to provide the food that he can eat (yum, gluten-free corn schnitzel!) And when those 150 soldiers with interesting medical and developmental histories screamed and signed "אני נשבע אני נשבע אני נשבע" you know that they had the choice, that they have enough challenges, and yet they want to give to the nation as much or more than the rest of us do.
So, here they are, posing for their group picture, with every right on earth to be proud of themselves for getting to where they are.
