Thinking of joining the IDF ?

[johnboy]

this thread is for those who want to join the IDF
please see link and if you have any further questions please use this thread.. http://www.mahal-idf-volunteers.org/

[rafi]

One of the most common questions on this board is how to enlist in the IDF. The most comprehensive, non-fee site to do this is:

http://www.mahal-idf-volunteers.org


What do you need to know about the site? Here:

The usage statistics for the year before June 23, 2010 show 198,556 visits and 4,266,940 hits (calculated on basis of the real figures since Jan 1, 2010), Google ranks on June 23, 2010:

• how to join the Israeli army - 1st and 2nd
• volunteer Israeli army – 1st
• volunteer Israeli military - 1st and 2nd
• free IDF ulpan - 2nd and 3rd
• IDF Hebrew studies - 1st and 2nd
• volunteer IDF - 1st and 2nd
• enlist IDF - 1st and 2nd
• mahal idf - 1st and 2nd
• machal - 1st and 2nd
• israeli mahal- 1st and 2nd
• help idf - 1st and 2nd
• lone soldiers – 2nd
• chayal boded – 5th and 6th
• volunteer Israel Defense Forces - 1st and 2nd
• serve Israeli army - 1st and 2nd
• volunteer Israel - 3rd and 4th
• idf israel - 6th and 7th.

IDF Mahal and the other IDF programs listed on this website are the administrative gates for the simplified enlistment of non-Israelis and overseas Israelis. Their actual IDF service is shoulder to shoulder with regular Israeli soldiers, even if the minimum service time is usually shorter than the regular IDF paths. Otherwise there are no major differences.
The programs aim to contribute to Israel's defense and to provide experienced and enthusiastic young leaders for Jewish communities. The following programs enable young Jews from all over the world to volunteer for the IDF.

The web site is broken down into convenient sections as follows:

RegistrationWho Can Volunteer?Your Service in the IDFFree IDF Hebrew StudiesAccommodation in IsraelFrequent QuestionsForumHistoryVolunteering Step-by-Step

Excerpt from the Volunteering Step by Step section:
Quick start:

Register here - By knowing more about you and your preferences we will be able to assist you much better; first we have to check if you are eligible and, if you are, which office will continue handling your enlistment.
Therefore, please register online here as soon as possible and get our eligibility pre-check and further information. Your registration is legally not binding before signing up with the military authorities - in person in Israel.





To do before arriving in Israel

1. Study this website including the pages Who Can Volunteer?, Your Service in the IDF, Volunteering Step-by-Step, Registration, FAQ and the external links such as the information for Chayalim Bodedim (Lone Soldiers).
2. Register online - here .
3. Mahal-IDF-Volunteers.org will pre-check your qualification and reply within ten days.
4. Mahal-IDF-Volunteers.org will forward a copy of the reply sent to you to the MoD or the IDF (depending on your personal circimstances); these should handle your case until your enlistment.
5. Phone or mail the MoD or IDF (the contacts are in our reply to your registration). A dialogue with the MoD and/or the IDF is optimal for clarifying open questions, particularly about enlistment and service options.
6. There should be no major problems, but if you encounter any, contact Mahal-IDF-Volunteers.org by mail and describe your problem. We will check and reply.
7. Choose your enlistment date.
   If you think your Hebrew language skills are not up to par for IDF service, make sure to choose an enlistment date marked with Free IDF Ulpan - here. Important information regarding the IDF and Hebrew skills - here .

From visas to ulpan to service lengths for various ages, the site has a step by step process to get you to the stage where you are ready to successfully enter the IDF.

Please read the web site, then, if you have additonal quetions, please post them here. There are specific answers to such ssues as age requirements, religious affiliation andthe the leagal documentation accepted by the IDF, medical profiles, unit assignments and other frequently asked questions. This site was createed for both foreign nationals as well as Israelis who are living and/or were raised abroad.



I'm this many years old and I want to serve in the IDF. Can I ?
Another great site for real information:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...&ct=clnk&gl=us


Questions answered here are most often fielded by me, Rafi. I'm a US born retired IAF officer. I still serve in the IDF as a reservist, having served as recently as June 2010. I do have actual connections within the Lishkat HaGius (draft board) and am authorized to comment on the IDF by the Dover Tsahal office. You can ask questions either publicly or by Private Message.

Rafi

[Katin Chorizo]

Hi there. I'll keep this simple. I'm 25, an Israeli citizen based in Europe. I have not completed IDF service and, because of a whole bunch of reason, I feel the need to complete it now. I know that I will only have to do 6 months once I become a 'resident' again. The question I have is what, in 6 months, am I likely to be doing, and whether it is worth volunteering for longer (say a year) in the hope of doing something a bit more interesting and possibly kravi. I am also a qualified lawyer (though I have no illusions of grandeur; I will peel potatoes for 6 months if that's where I'm needed). Thanks.

[rafi]

Originally Posted by Katin Chorizo

Hi there. I'll keep this simple. I'm 25, an Israeli citizen based in Europe. I have not completed IDF service and, because of a whole bunch of reason, I feel the need to complete it now. I know that I will only have to do 6 months once I become a 'resident' again. The question I have is what, in 6 months, am I likely to be doing, and whether it is worth volunteering for longer (say a year) in the hope of doing something a bit more interesting and possibly kravi. I am also a qualified lawyer (though I have no illusions of grandeur; I will peel potatoes for 6 months if that's where I'm needed). Thanks.

I'm not certain who told you that you would serve even six months. You most likely would never be required to serve at all, including reserves.

You may very well end up in MAGAR, a much more likely outcome.
In any event, if you do end up serving, it would almost certainly be in infantry.

As to signing keva, again, I will be frank with you. The chances of you being attractive to the IDF are thin. There is no manpower shortage in the IDF. You might very well have to argue with them about serving. On this site we have come up with two people now, I believe, over the age of 25 since 2003 who have gotten in.

The information here is pretty accurate:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...&ct=clnk&gl=us

[HideNSeek]

Originally Posted by rafi

I'm not certain who told you that you would serve even six months. You most likely would never be required to serve at all, including reserves.

You may very well end up in MAGAR, a much more likely outcome.
In any event, if you do end up serving, it would almost certainly be in infantry.

As to signing keva, again, I will be frank with you. The chances of you being attractive to the IDF are thin. There is no manpower shortage in the IDF. You might very well have to argue with them about serving. On this site we have come up with two people now, I believe, over the age of 25 since 2003 who have gotten in.

The information here is pretty accurate:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...&ct=clnk&gl=us

Common theme for those who are over the usual age, the IDF requires initiative. No one will ask you, you'll need to go to them.

[Katin Chorizo]

Thank you for your replies. I got the idea that I needed to do 6 months from that very table on the nefesh b'nefesh website, so I assume it will apply to me too ( I also know others who are about my age and have received a tzav too). I know there is no shortage of manpower, and I'm not looking to be anybody's Rambo, but I am fairly determined to do my bit in order to fit in here. What is Magar?

[rafi]

MAGAR is a pool of people who could be eligible for reserves, but due to their age on the date of their arrival in Israel, they do not serve at all. There was no return on investment to train them.

MAGAR is the emergency reserve pool that could be mobilized in times of a military crisis to help.

I hope you are aware that the army is not going to go out of it's way for you. You are 7 years late for that.

Go in with the attitude that you are doing the right thing and that whatever it is, it will be finite.

As always, your experience may differ.

[Jewcas]

Can i do the marva program and then join the idf when im done?

[rafi]

Originally Posted by Jewcas

Can i do the marva program and then join the idf when im done?

Marva is, in essense, boy scout camp, and has nothing to do with the IDF. (the program itself is conducted on a Gadna camp).

So the answer is yes, assuming all the other requirements needed to serve in the IDF are met. Marva would neither positively or negatively influece this.

[Jewcas]

My parents want me to do it first. I figure it will put me in decent shape.

[Jewcas]

But i do understand its nothing like the idf.

[Jewcas]

When in the mahal program is it possible to be part of a tank unit or an artillery team?

[rafi]

Originally Posted by Jewcas

When in the mahal program is it possible to be part of a tank unit or an artillery team?

Less than 5% of MAHALniks serve in anything other than infantry. Your chances are very small.

[Jewcas]

Will my options open up if i choose to re-enlist?

[Jewcas]

My last question is does infantry include paratroopers?

[rafi]

Originally Posted by Jewcas

Will my options open up if i choose to re-enlist?

Great question!

MAHAL is one time - period. If you make aliyah, and someone your age would normally serve more as a full citizen you would have your service extended to complete the gap. But you can only do the MAHAL program once.

[rafi]

Originally Posted by Jewcas

My last question is does infantry include paratroopers?

You serve for 14 months and go home. Israelis serve 25 years. Would it make sense for Israel to spend money on "exotic" training for you?

The goal, as in keep your eye on the ball, is to serve Israel.

Trust me, serving in MAHAL is enough.

[Jewcas]

Thank you for all your help Rafi. Thank you for having the patience to answer my questions that you have probably been asked 1,000 times. I submitted my application on the Mahal website and look foward to hearing back and getting the process started!!!

[Jewcas]

Does anybody have any books or websites you could recommend for leaning beginners Hebrew? I'm gonna go to ulpan bu i figure its best to get a head start.

[shadowfighter]

hi, folks. yea.. I'd like to serve in the IDF too. and im equally over the age-limit. but im in an excellent physical condition and have a good military experience. And i can't understand that: "As decided by the IDF, non-Israelis are eligible for enlisting only in the age brackets 18-23 incl. (men), 18-20 incl. (women), physicians until 35 incl. No exception is possible at this stage."
Why do they like to recrute yong boys & girls, hormonal driven Rambos for this job and adult, grown people, ex-soldiers and, may be, specialists are having no chance? The next example is the French foreign Legion. the limit age is 39 there. and they have 20-60 recrutes EVERY WEEK. but the people who go serve at the Legio are intrested only for money ore false identity. ore the're running from something. otherwise, the people who wanna go serve to you, they wanna do that for an ethical reason.
in best regards.