Rites of Passage

December 9, 2007 - 2:24 PM by Liza

One of the most (if not the most) deeply ingrained rites of passage in Israel involves sending one’s children to the army. I imagine that the feelings of parents run the gamut, and the only thing I can think to compare it to at all would be the emotions that American parents get when they send their children off to college (though obviously, the dangers inherent in sending one’s child to the army are usually far greater than those involved in sending children to college).

Goodbye If teenagers today are anything like teenagers were in my time (oh dear – I’m dating myself with a statement like that…), I’m guessing that this event probably has a more profound effect on the parents than on the children (who are probably more concerned with keeping Mom and Dad from making fools of themselves in front of their peers). If I were to hazard another guess, I’m going to assume that the occasion is even more alien for immigrants, parents who missed out on the army experience themselves, parents who don’t know exactly what to expect from the situation. A Soldier’s Mother began her blog shortly before her eldest son went into the army earlier in the year. She writes,

“”Bye, Ima,” Elie called out as he passed the window with his backpack strapped on. That’s all. Too much for a 20-year-old to give his mother a kiss or hug goodbye. It’s not the done thing at all, and sure enough, no other boys did either. At this hour and at this location, it is all business, all movement, and no time for sentiment. They all walked into the big building and disappeared. I sat for a second watching other parents drop off their sons, watched the boys walk to the building, pull out their security passes and enter as the parents drove away. It was my turn and I pulled out, leaving behind other parents to take my spot.

For some reason, the sight of all of these young soldiers touched me and my eyes filled with tears as I stopped at the first light, my mind still seeing these soldiers and their backpacks enter the building.”

I loved this post. Check out the rest of it here.

Share with others