Gadna Strong

       It's rare to be blessed with an experience that is composed of a sliver of time, but that is so incredibly rewarding in the long run. Spending four days at Gadna last week had an impact on my time in Israel that will undoubtably resound throughout the rest of my life. The program, developed for teens, is meant to portray the life of a soldier in the IDF from the food, setting, schedule, and activities. However, in addition to learning commands and jewish words, or how to stand perfectly in a straight line with five other people without talking, was the interjection of an understanding of the lifestyle and unified feelings of Israeli citizens. These people have lived, and grown up constantly ingrained with the importance of the IDF, of defending their land and people, of protecting the innocent and protecting themselves. I saw this priciple play true throughout the whole time that I was at Gadna, especially established by my commander. Even though she had to act strict as an authority, in charge of our group, our commander shared stories about her life as a soldier, growing up in Israel, and the lessons she learned protecting her country which underlined the importance of connections. For the first time, I was able to truly comprehend the extreme level of friendship and family that is embedded in Israeli culture and society, especially developed through the army. It was clear that everyone in the army had formed a tightly knit group that they regarded as family, as brothers and sisters. I too experienced this deep connection with my group at Gadna. There were people who I became extremely close with, sleeping together, eating together, sweating and running together. The situations that we experienced as a team in just the few days that we were together connected a small group of girls beyond what we could have dreamed. I could only imagine the relationships that are formed with the soldiers who are together for two or even three years under similar conditions, I can now grasp a picture of why those friendships are so strong and impactful. Even though I may not have been the cleanest or the best looking for the four days at Gadna, the smells override the lessons that I learned and the understanding of Israeli life, the deep connections that are formed, and my ability to be a witness everyday to the incredible nature of unity within Israel.