This is a photograph of a member of the Chabad movement distributing doughnuts to IDF soldiers in 1985. The man from Chabad is dressed traditionally in a black hat and suit and has a black beard. He is standing in front of a box of sufganiyot, the jam doughnuts eaten in Israel on the festival of Chanukah. Sitting and standing around him are members of an IDF unit. The soldiers, dressed in uniform, are relaxing and eating the doughnuts. They appear to be secular, since they are not wearing kippot. While in some Jewish communities latkes, potato pancakes, are the typical Chanukah treat, in Israel, bakeries are filled with doughnuts of all different varieties.
Chabad is known for its outreach programs, and they often give religious support to Israeli soldiers.
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Chanuka - Chanuka celebrates the rededication of the Temple by Judah the Maccabee and his army after their victory over the Greeks in 165 BCE. One of the well-known miracles of the Chanukah story is the small portion of oil that was able to light the Menorah in the Temple and burn for eight nights. Chanukah begins on 25 Kislev and is celebrated by lighting a Chanukiya for eight nights. It is also traditional to eat fried foods (to symbolise the oil) and play with spinning tops known as dreidles.
Chabad – Chabad is an acronym which stands for Chochmah, Binah, and Daat (wisdom, comprehension, and knowledge) and is the organization of the Lubavitch sect of Hasidism. The word “Lubavitch” comes from the name of the town in Russia where the movement was based. In keeping with Hasidic tradition, Chabad-Lubavitch was led by a rabbinic dynasty that began with Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812), who wrote the Tanya which is a foundational text for the movement. The last Lubavitcher Rebbe was Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994). Rabbi Schneerson, known simply as the Rebbe, instituted an outreach movement that placed rabbinic representatives, shluchim, and their families in communities around the world, with the aim of helping Jews to learn about and perform mitzvot. There are currently around 5,000 shluchim in over 100 countries, with Chabad headquarters in the United States and Israel.
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.
