Israel
The Draft: A (Canadian-cum-Israeli) Dad’s Retrospective
Submitted by (former Winnpegger) BRUCE BROWN, who now lives in Rehovot, Israel.
Feb. 2015
Collected the mail this morning. A few flyers and bills. And my son’s draft notice. A quick double take. A flash back to my son playing with plastic dinosaurs. Then I texted my wife, “It’s here.”
A few hours later my son came home. “How was school?” I asked. “There’s a letter for you on the table”. Opening it, and with a surprising degree of nonchalance, he nailed it: “My call up” – as if going into the army was an ordinary occurrence. Ah…ya. It’s here.
A few days later I asked D if I could post a picture of his call-up on Facebook. “Dad, you can’t post this stuff. It’s… like, confidential.” Duh. Of course.
May 2015
Picked my son up from Jerusalem. He was there for a series of pre-army tests. He couldn’t stop talking about the cute ‘chayelet’ (army girls). Teenagers!
Oct. 2015 – Jan. 2016
D interviewed for various roles in different divisions… none of interest. He wants something Air Force specific. My wife and I helped him with a letter to the IAF manpower division… emphasized his aircraft knowledge, his love of plane simulators. (How many times did we catch him “flying” instead of doing his homework?) His 17th birthday gift: A flying lesson.
Our involvement is not unusual. Mothers are known to call their kids’ officers all the time. A Jewish mother is a Jewish mother.
Feb – Mar, 2016
Silence.
April 2016
The Air Force came knocking (pun intended). Another interview. Another psychometric test. D felt he aced this one (another pun).
May 2016
Text message from the Israeli Air Force: Accepted. Not the specific role he wanted but within his window of satisfaction. Excitement. Trepidation. The Air Force is the darling of the military. Best conditions. High tech environment. Much to my son’s amusement I don’t really get what he’ll be doing.
July 2016
D called me at the office. Draft date moved up. “Dad, we need to change our holiday plans. Three weeks and I’m in.” New York will have to wait. Improvising, we quickly made other travel arrangements. A week later we were in Northern Italy. My son a reluctant traveler. He’d rather be home with his friends sharing the excitement of the draft.
Aug. 2016
Took D for a buzz-cut. His beautiful golden locks… gone. I also had a buzz-cut. My less beautiful grey locks…gone: Solidarity.
We threw a draft bash. Lots of friends and family. I toasted:
“We are celebrating your draft…into the world’s best Air Force…. I can’t tell you how proud we are… You obtained a role – and I still don’t get it – that is meaningful and challenging, with great responsibility and opportunity. Embrace it. Be safe and strong. Keep us safe and strong, D. Sweet child of mine. May God make you like Ephraim and Maneshe…and establish peace for you.”
Aug. 2016 – Draft Day
We travelled in two cars… my wife, our daughter, my mother-in-law, D’s friends, his girlfriend. And, of course – the cadet. We arrived at the induction center at 08:00hrs. Despite living in Israel for over twenty-two years I’m still amazed by the inescapable informality – sometimes disguised as chaos. My Canadian self still says: “Lines. Order. Please. Excuse me.” The security appeared to be in disarray. Then I remembered I’m on an army base. Umm…can’t get more secure than that.
Hundreds of young recruits. ‘Balagan’. Israeli flags waving overhead. Old ladies passing out amulets with the prayer for the Israeli Army. Sephardic grandmothers spraying water into the crowd to wash away the evil eye.
Much too quickly my son’s name was called. Won’t forget the apprehensive ‘I guess it’s my turn’ look on his face. Nor the tears flowing from my wife’s almond shaped eyes. Nor the tears flowing from my daughter’s green colored eyes. Nor my mother-in-law’s ‘shouldn’t there be peace by now?’ hunched and saddened look. I took D aside. Covered his head with my hand. Recited the blessing for a son. Then, like at a beach party, his friends hoisted him on their shoulders. Carried him forward. Innocence. Bravado. Another generation coming of age in Israel.
He walked the final distance alone. Oversized backpack. Buzz-cut. Excitement. Trepidation. Then disappeared into the military transport and his next three years. Actually two years and eight months but who’s counting.
Bruce Brown has been living in Israel “for…a long time” and is the proud father of two Sabras. One is currently a sargent in the Israeli Air Force.
Features
New website for Israelis interested in moving to Canada
By BERNIE BELLAN (May 21, 2024) A new website, titled “Orvrim to Canada” (https://www.ovrimtocanada.com/ovrim-en) has been receiving hundreds of thousands of visits, according to Michal Harel, operator of the website.
In an email sent to jewishpostandnews.ca Michal explained the reasons for her having started the website:
“In response to the October 7th events, a group of friends and I, all Israeli-Canadian immigrants, came together to launch a new website supporting Israelis relocating to Canada. “Our website, https://www.ovrimtocanada.com/, offers a comprehensive platform featuring:
- Step-by-step guides for starting the immigration process
- Settlement support and guidance
- Community connections and networking opportunities
- Business relocation assistance and expert advice
- Personal blog sharing immigrants’ experiences and insights
“With over 200,000 visitors and media coverage from prominent Israeli TV channels and newspapers, our website has already made a significant impact in many lives.”
A quick look at the website shows that it contains a wealth of information, almost all in Hebrew, but with an English version that gives an overview of what the website is all about.
The English version also contains a link to a Jerusalem Post story, published this past February, titled “Tired of war? Canada grants multi-year visas to Israelis” (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-787914#google_vignette) That story not only explains the requirements involved for anyone interested in moving to Canada from Israel, it gives a detailed breakdown of the costs one should expect to encounter.
(Updated May 28)
We contacted Ms. Harel to ask whether she’s aware whether there has been an increase in the number of Israelis deciding to emigrate from Israel since October 7. (We want to make clear that we’re not advocating for Israelis to emigrate; we’re simply wanting to learn more about emigration figures – and whether there has been a change in the number of Israelis wanting to leave the country.)
Ms. Harel referred us to a website titled “Globes”: https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001471862
The website is in Hebrew, but we were able to translate it into English. There is a graph on the website showing both numbers of immigrants to Israel and emigrants.
The graph shows a fairly steady rate of emigration from 2015-2022, hovering in the 40,000 range, then in 2023 there’s a sudden increase in the number of emigrants to 60,000.
According to the website, the increase in emigrants is due more to a change in the methodology that Israel has been using to count immigrants and emigrants than it is to any sudden upsurge in emigration. (Apparently individuals who had formerly been living in Israel but who may have returned to Israel just once a year were being counted as having immigrated back to Israel. Now that they are no longer being counted as immigrants and instead are being treated as emigrants, the numbers have shifted radically.)
Yet, the website adds this warning: “The figures do not take into account the effects of the war, since it is still not possible to identify those who chose to emigrate following it. It is also difficult to estimate what Yalad Yom will produce – on the one hand, anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews and Israelis around the world reminds everyone where the Jewish home is. On the other hand, the bitter truth we discovered in October is that it was precisely in Israel, the safe fortress of the Jewish people, that a massacre took place reminding us of the horrors of the Holocaust. And if that’s not enough, the explosive social atmosphere and the difference in the state budget deficit, which will inevitably lead to a heavy burden of taxes and a reduction in public services, may convince Zionist Israelis that they don’t belong here.”
Thus, as much as many of us would be disappointed to learn that there is now an upsurge in Israelis wanting to move out of the country, once reliable figures begin to be produced for 2024, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that is the case – which helps to explain the tremendous popularity of Ms. Harel’s website.
Features
Message from a Palestinian in Gaza to protesters: “You’re hurting the Palestinian cause”
A very brave Palestinian who was willing to put his name to paper and write an article for Newsweek Magazine has exposed the utter hypocrisy of all those students – and others, who have been setting up encampments across the U.S. – and now Canada, too.
You can read the article at https://www.newsweek.com/message-gazan-campus-protesters-youre-hurting-palestinian-cause-opinion-1894313
Features
The Most Expensive Israeli Soccer Transfers
Even if Israel isn’t known as a world soccer power, it has produced plenty of talented players who have made a living in top European leagues. On more than one occasion, an Israeli international has commanded a rather large transfer fee. But who are the most expensive players in Israel’s history? The answer could be a little surprising. We took a look back to find the most expensive Israeli soccer transfers of all time.
Tai Baribo
In 2023, Baribo made the move to MLS, signing with the Philadelphia Union. The reported fee was around $1.5 million, which is one of the highest transfer fees the Union has ever paid for a player.
Omer Atzili
Throughout his career, Atzili has played for a variety of clubs, including stops in Spain and Greece. In 2023, he joined Al Ain in the UAE for a transfer fee of $2.1 million.
Maor Buzaglo
Now retired, Buzaglo was briefly the holder of the richest transfer deal for an Israeli player. After a couple of successful seasons on loan, Maccabi Tel Aviv paid $2.7 million to rival Maccabi Haifa for Buzaglo in 2008.
Dia Saba
Saba made history in 2020 when he joined Al-Nasr, making him the first Israeli player to play for a club in the UAE. At the time, it was a big deal for relations between the two countries. Al-Nasr also paid an impressive $2.9 million transfer fee for the midfielder.
Tal Ben Haim
On multiple occasions, Ben Haim has been sold for more than $1 million. First, there was his move from Hapoel Tel Aviv to Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2023 for close to $1.2 million. A few years later, Sparta Prague came calling for him, spending $3.1 million as a transfer fee for the winger.
Itay Shechter
During the prime of his career, Shechter was the type of player who warranted a seven-figure transfer fee. German club Kaiserslautern paid a little over $2.6 million in 2011 to bring Shechter to the Bundesliga from Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Daniel Peretz
When Peretz was sold to Bayern Munich, it wasn’t the most expensive deal involving an Israeli player, although it was arguably the most important. He became the first Israeli Jew to play at Bayern, which is one of the biggest clubs in the world. The transfer fee for Peretz paid by Bayern Munich to Maccabi Tel Aviv was around $5.4 million.
Oscar Gloukh
Gloukh is one of the best young Israeli players right now. He already has three international goals in a dozen appearances to his name. Somehow, Gloukh is already one of the most expensive players in Israel’s history. After coming up with Maccabi Tel Aviv, he moved to Austrian giant Red Bull Salzburg in 2023 for a transfer fee of close to $7.5 million. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him top that number one day.
Liel Abada
Abada has been a part of two huge transfer deals in his young career. In 2021, Scottish club Celtic paid $4.8 million to acquire him from Maccabi Petah Tikva. However, that number was topped in 2024 when Charlotte FC of MLS paid a fee of $8 million for Abada.
With Charlotte FC, Abada competes in North America’s top league, facing teams from both Mexico and Canada. Throughout North America, sports betting has taken off in recent years. That includes betting in Canada, where there is a large collection of trusted sports betting platforms.
Eran Zahavi
To date, Zahavi holds the record for the most expensive transfer fee paid for an Israeli player. It’s fitting for Israel’s former captain and all-time leading scorer. In 2016, Chinese club Guangzhou City paid $12.5 million to get Zahavi from Maccabi Tel Aviv. That record was nearly broken later that year when another Chinese club offered $20 million for Zahavi, who turned it down and stayed with Guangzhou City.