Why I Chose Gadna
By Wellington Rothschild
Why did I pick Gadna? A question that gets asked a lot. For me, I come from a military family. The clocks in my home back in Colorado all run on military time, and my father frequently uses military codes for instruction. The military is something I grew up with, and something I see in my future. After high school, I do not know what will come for me, whether I choose to join the Israeli Defense Forces or go to serve in the United States Navy. But, on this once in a lifetime trip to Israel, I was given the choice of participating in more beautiful, long hikes (yam l’yam – Sea to Sea), volunteer work (Tikkun Olam), or getting to experience the Israeli military (Gadna).
For me, choosing Gadna was not just based on the fact that later in life I aim to be in the military, but also based on a desire to experience something entirely new and different. In the beginning of this trip we got to hike for four days in the Negev Desert, so for me I did not need to do another long hike, even though the opportunity to see more of Israel’s astounding nature was tempting. Therefore, Sea to Sea was crossed off my list. Then there was the option of Tikkun Olam. I, of course, believe in volunteering, and I personally choose to volunteer often at home. Ultimately, every option holds great appeal, but I could only select one. That left me with the choice of Gadna. In some ways, I was skeptical. Why would I want to go to this amazing country, join the army, and torture myself? So, I gave time for myself to think about it. Then I realized that it is actually something different. Yes, it is going to be hard and it is probably going to have moments of discomfort, but it is something I will likely only ever have the chance to do once in my life. So, when my parents texted me and asked what I wanted to do, I texted back, “Gadna”. To answer the question: why did I pick Gadna? I picked it for the once in a lifetime experience, good or bad. I chose it to try something new and to expand my knowledge of how this country works. The military is a fundamental part of Israeli society, a way in which Israelis build lifelong connections and relationships, build educational, technical, and career skills, and begin to decide what they will do with the rest of their lives. To gain a better understanding of the I.D.F. is to gain a better understanding of Israel and Israelis, and that, to me, is a critically important aspect of this trip.
