The army is a picnic

January 20, 2010 - 9:46 AM by

There’s nothing like a picnic outside an army base to rekindle any lost sparks of Zionism.

I’d have to say that the scene last week outside the Ketziot base was an example of something that’s uniquely Israeli – I can’t imagine it happening in any other country.

Our daughter’s in the early stages of six-months of basic training at the base, which is deep in the Negev, south of Beersheba, only a handful of kilometers from the Egyptian border.

Given the chance of spending a restful Shabbat at home or driving two and a half hours each way to spend a couple hours with her during ‘free time’ on her Shabbat on the base, we chose the only possible option.

So loading up the back of the car with a cooler filled with lunchtime delicacies, we headed south. Once you get past Beersheba, there’s not much else – it gets more and more desolate and desert-ed.

Even though I had spent three different reserve duties at Ketziot, where there is also a prison housing Palestinian detainees, I wondered a few times if we were on the right road. But sure enough, the turnoff for Ketziot eventually showed up, amid ‘camel crossing’ signs and the ocassional lone tree.

We drove down the narrow road and turned into the parking lot, only to find… a party! The lot was filled with dozens of cars, and the a neatly designed picnic area – complete with wooden, covered benches and tables, and a large swath of artificial grass – was packed with families and their soldier children.

Some families seem have brought their entire kitchen with them – with portable coffee makers the item of choice for many. Parents were moving around from group to group, handing out cookies, and soldiers were waving their friends/comrades over to introduce them to their parents.

It was like visiting day at college, except the students all had rifles slung over the shoulders and had great tans. After the allotted time, the families started packing up for the long ride home, and our children walked back through the gates of the base to get some rest in their tents until Shabbat went out – but not before handing their parents plastic bags full of laundry.

Hopefully, the visit had recharged them sufficiently to start the week of shooting, drilling and soldiering in good spirits. Only six more days, and they can sleep in their own beds for a couple nights.

Tags: , , , , • Category: A New Reality, Food, General, Israeliness, Life, War 

Comments

3 Comments on The army is a picnic

  1. David-Joe on Fri, Jan 22nd 2010 5:33 AM

    2. I agree – only in Israel :-]

  2. ilana walsh on Sun, Jan 24th 2010 3:25 PM

    3. We once visited one of my sons when he was manning a roadside checkpoint on the way into Gaza. As he stopped vehicles we sat inside the sentry box, doling out the cola, fruit and chocolates to him and his mate who was on the roof of the box with a rifle. So next time you see a picture of a tough Israeli soldier on duty somewhere, you should know that his mother may not be far away with the goodies.

    Another time we went to visit him when he spent a week in a tent with three others on the Green Line border near Maccabim-Reut. Our gifts of food were met with apathy as they pointed to the pile of boxes of fruit and other edibles donated by the locals. They said it was more than they could eat and practically asked US to take from THEM.

  3. Synthetic Grass Brisbane on Thu, Aug 25th 2011 11:22 AM

    4. It is an interesting blog. I really enjoyed a lot while reading this kind of information.

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