Not Your Average Jewess: The right attitude

July 03, 2005

The right attitude

I wish...

Everyone thought this way: Soldier says 'no' to pullout drill

TEL AVIV - A military hand-to-hand combat instructor has refused to teach soldiers how to defend themselves against potential violence from Jewish settlers they are slated to evacuate from Gaza this summer.

“Idan was asked a few days ago to train a large group of soldiers in self-defense, aggressiveness, dominance, dealing with a knife-wielding assailant, things like that,” the soldier’s friends told Ynet. “He was very cautious, and asked to make sure it was not preparation for the withdrawal. The officers calmed him down.”

While he prepared to teach the course, an officer described what he would have to include in his training, giving examples such as dealing with “a settler with a knife” and “evacuating an outpost.”

Idan’s friends said he immediately realized the exercise was for the withdrawal, and said he was “not prepared to train troops against Jews” and that he “was taught to train (to fight) against an enemy only.”

"Conscientiously immoral"

Idan's father, Yitzhak, said it was conscientiously immoral for a soldier to train troops against other Jews.

“My son has a Jewish soul,” he said. “He is not able to train soldiers (to combat) Jews. I understand him and support him completely. I am against refusing (orders)..but my son is not refusing an order - this is a conscientious problem.”

Idan had said he would be willing to train the soldiers only if they sign documents or notify their commanders that they would not use violence against Jews, and would serve jail time if forced to do so. The army rejected his proposal.

Posted by Maria at July 3, 2005 03:14 PM | TrackBacks

I undestand that he refuses to take part in the disengagement. I don't understand why "refusing to train troops (self-defence!) against Jews" sounds better to him or to you, because to me it sounds much worse. Also the slogan "A Jew does not expell a Jew" makes me sick, esp since it clearly refers to the deportations and persecutions Jews have suffered through history. This is an abuse of Jewish suffering, because whatever you may say about the disengagement, it doesn't compare with those wrongdoings. Such exaggerations lead to banalization of Jewish tragedies.

Posted by: Orly at July 4, 2005 04:34 PM Permalink

"Also the slogan "A Jew does not expell a Jew" makes me sick, esp since it clearly refers to the deportations and persecutions Jews have suffered through history. This is an abuse of Jewish suffering"

I couldn't disagree more. I find the saying understandable exactly *because* of historical events. How can you say that it is 'abuse', when there are still people alive today who remember the last attempt that was made to wipe out all Jews? With that in mind, such sayings are hardly a case of paranoia, but more like.. understandable.

Posted by: Maria at July 4, 2005 11:49 PM Permalink

So you basically say that it is reasonable to compare evacuating people to another place within their country to exterminating them??? And you don't see it as deep offence and abuse???

I don't believe such references to Jewish tragedies show of paranoia, unless for a few cases. It seems to me more like ignorance, unbelievable insensitivity and total loss of reason - all the things that you don't like. Or maybe it's just a response of hysteric people and we shouldn't judge them. Anyway, these wild exaggerations are certainly unconvincing and often offensive and infuriating.

Posted by: Orly at July 7, 2005 08:39 AM Permalink