This is a photograph, taken by Eddie Hirschbein, of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers at a Chanukah party for new immigrants. In the centre of the photograph is a soldier playing the accordion. He is surrounded by other soldiers dancing the hora. The man with a mustache, wearing a different hat from the other soldiers, is a sergeant major. The pictures of oil jugs that are hanging on the wall indicate that this was a Chanukah party.
During the 1950s, at the time of the mass aliya to Israel, the IDF were assigned tasks and functions that were essentially civilian, such as logistical assistance to the residents of the immigrant and transit camps. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion even assigned the IDF a role in the social and cultural absorption of immigrants, seeing this as a central role of the IDF; in his opinion, immigration absorption was an integral part of Israel’s national security.
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Immigration to Israel in the early years of the State – The early years of the State of Israel were noted for the large wave of immigration from all over the world. During its first three and a half years, 688,000 new immigrants arrived in Israel, doubling its population. The immigrants were mostly Holocaust survivors from Europe and refugees from Arab countries. This welcome influx of Jews to Israel required many resources. The new immigrants needed housing and jobs. They also needed to quickly integrate into Israeli society, and thus there was a massive campaign to teach them Hebrew.
IDF - The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was founded shortly after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Before then there had been several military groups, but Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion officially unified them into one national army on May 26, 1948. The IDF consists of ground forces, air force, and navy. The IDF’s security objectives are: to defend the existence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of the State of Israel; to deter all of Israel’s enemies; and to curb all forms of terrorism which threaten daily life. The IDF follows a code of ethics called the “Spirit of the IDF.” All soldiers are trained in this code and expected to obey it. Military service is compulsory for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18, although there are some exceptions: most notably, ultra-orthodox men who are studying in yeshivas and married women. Religious women have the option of doing sherut leumi (community service) instead of serving in the IDF. The general length of service is two years and eight months for men and two years for women. After completing regular service in the IDF, Israelis are obliged to join a reserve unit and continue serving as needed. Since the IDF touches the life of almost all Israelis, it also serves as a welfare institution by teaching and supporting disadvantaged soldiers and civilians in Israel and even abroad. Since its inauguration, volunteers from around the world have joined the IDF. Currently, soldiers from over 70 countries are serving in the IDF, with 25% of them coming from the United States.
