Hello, so I’m currently 16, I’m Romanian/hungarian and don’t have any Jewish heritage as far as I know and I wish to know if I can join the IDF as a non Jew and serve in a combat role?

Hi, I’m currently working as a pharmacist in France, and I know that I will make Aliyah in a few years, probably in my mid-30s.

I have never served in the military or done any military service in the past, but I would like to serve in one way or another during my free time. From what I understand, there seem to be quite a few opportunities for this.

First question: What kind of service would be useful? I’m having a hard time finding information about things like the fire service in Israel, for example.

Second question: How do Israelis generally view people who live in Israel without having a military background, especially when there is a legitimate reason for not having served?

Third question: How do Israelis generally view the Border Police (Magav) and the police, particularly in terms of their reputation for voluntering ?

Hello,

I wanted to ask if this could be an issue. I’m planning to become a combat soldier, or possibly join the Air Force, and I recently bought the Garmin Instinct 3 Solar.

Would it be a problem that I bought the standard version instead of the Tactical Edition? Are the extra features on the Tactical Edition actually important or useful for someone planning to join the military or serve in a combat role?

From what I understand, the Tactical Edition includes several additional features, such as:

Stealth Mode: disables wireless communication and prevents the watch from storing or sharing your GPS position.

Kill Switch: deletes all user data and memory from the device if security becomes an issue.

Night Vision Mode: adjusts the display for use with night vision goggles.

Jumpmaster Mode: designed for calculating release points for military parachuting operations.

Projected Waypoints: allows you to create and navigate to remote locations.

Dual Grid Coordinates: allows you to display two different coordinate systems simultaneously.

Dedicated Tactical Activity: provides tactical-specific activity data.

Rucking Activity: allows you to enter the weight of your backpack for more accurate training data.

Applied Ballistics support/ballistics solver (requires an additional unlock for certain functionality).

Stage Timer.

Besides these features, would the standard Instinct 3 Solar still be perfectly suitable for military training and everyday use in the army?

I’m mainly wondering whether I made a mistake by not getting the Tactical Edition, or if the standard version is already more than enough.

Thanks for your advice!

מה זאת ה"משחה" הזאת שעל הקציצה שהכינו במטבח כאן?? יש לנו טבח מרץ 24 שזורק על איכות האוכל אבל אפילו בכוונה לא הייתי יודע איך לעשות דבר כזה. מישהו ראה את זה אי פעם? יש פה טבחים צבאיים או לא צבאיים?

I am an 18 year old man in the United States. Both my parents are jewish. I would like to join the IDF either through Alyiah or not, whichever one gets me in faster. However I am struggling on finding who to contact in order to join. I have tried Mahal a month ago via email and phone but have gotten no response. I have tried nefesh b'nefesh. They answered my call the first time and told me to call back the next day. That was over a week ago and whenever I call no one answers. I have sent them an email too but no one has gotten back to me.

Who do I get in touch with?

Hello, I immigrated to America when I was 6 and am currently 27. I’m hoping to move back next year and really want to do some sort of service to support the country. However, I’d be 28 when I move, which I know can cause issues.

For my background, I do have undergraduate degrees in mathematics and physics and a master’s degree in computer science. I also have some experience working at a large company in America. Thus, I wanted to know what my options are. Are there any opportunity for someone with my background to serve. Are there any ways for me to get involved given my experience?

Sooo.. I've been looking to make Aliyah. Im past 40 and not in great health to be honest, running in the desert is going to be disadvicable. But I can hold a rifle and stand in front of a building. Why not.

But I'm not sure the IDF is all that interested in enlisting 40 year olds that speak no Hebrew and are limited in endurance.. or are there support roles they are looking to fill?

Hi, I’m an American interested in becoming a lone soldier at some point in the near future. I’m supposed to start university in the U.S. soon, but if I wait to get my degree before coming to Israel I’ll be at least 22 by the time I draft.

I’ve spent a little while in Israel now and what’s striking to me is every Israeli I know made some of their closest friends in the army. Would being so much older than my peers be detrimental for me when I join? Is there any reason I should put university off and come earlier instead?

Thanks!

I got out 3 weeks ago. I have miluim in a 2 weeks. My boots are pretty beat up. Extremely dirty.

Is there a way to deep clean boots to get rid of fungus?

I'll probably try to give them bly, but it might be harder in miluim.

Hello everyone. I am 17, turning 18 in december and i wish to join the IDF. I am an Israeli citizen living in romania and i was wondering: what are the restrictions for nicotine? I use nicotine pouches, and from what I heard you are usually allowed to smoke in designated areas but I never heard anything about nicotine pouches and whether you are allowed to use them or not

Hi everyone, I’m a 16-year-old future Oleh, planning to make Aliyah and enlist around 2031-2032 (at age 21-22).I am highly motivated for combat service, and getting combat veteran status (Lochem Chud) is very important to me.I recently got my full orthopedic diagnosis: Juvenile Kyphoscoliosis (Grade 2, around 13-16°,stable for over a year)

Mild wedge deformity at Th8 Mild rotation/torsion at Th12 Mild flat feet (flexible) Functionally, I have no chronic pain,I lift weights at the gym,and my flexibility is improving.I assume this status will realistically land me a Profile 72 due to the structural/bone parameters.I have a few specific questions for veterans and current soldiers: 1. Isuf Kravi (Mobile/Rekhuv):The official IDF page now shows a requirement of 82+ for the general Combat Intelligence fighter track. For those with a 72 profile, does the Manila (placement questionnaire) still offer the option for Mobile Combat Intelligence (Isuf Rekhuv/FPV drones/Granite vehicles)?Or has the entire corps been completely closed to Profile 72 recently?

1. Navy (Daburim / Satilim):Since the official portal requires a 72+ profile for Navy combat roles, how realistic is it to pass the Gibush Yam and serve on patrol boats with a stable, mild Th8/Th12 deformity? Does the constant shaking on a Dabur boat cause issues for people with mild spinal curves?

3.Medical Commission: Given that my condition has been stable for a year with zero pain, what are the odds of the medical board pushing me down to Profile 64 based purely on the "medical seifim" of a wedge vertebra, even if my physical functionality and flexibility are excellent?

Appreciate any insights or personal stories from anyone who served in these units with back/spinal seifim. Thanks!

Thinking of joining the IDF

I’m gay

Would this be a problem?

Like let’s say I made aliyah, have citizenship and everything and go into an infantry battalion in the idf. Can I buy a handgun to personally own?

Hey im a course idf soldier im in the air force, now recently MP soldiers have gave me a ticket for my hair and now im staying at base 21 days...I need to sign every hour at the barracks commander and bla bla bla, now given that I have barely any free time I cant shower and its freaking HOT here so I sweat a lot, so my roommates told me to stay outside MY OWN DORM until 10pm to when I can shower...now I understand them I wouldn't wanna be in the same room as someone who dont shower but I feel bad about being kicked out by my own roommates from my room...so what should I do?

Like let’s say you serve in golani, get shot in the foot and you end up making a full recovery, almost like you were never shot, and you end up going back into golani, are you expected to repay the time you were recovering later? I know that if your training is longer because of a sayeret or specific course, they sometimes make you serve longer like tier 1 sayerets serving an extra 2 years so I was wondering if a similar thing happens here

I’m currently thinking to go to israel this coming year after I graduate high school in the US, I’d probably do a year of mechina then come back and join Garin Tzabar as a lone soldier. I may later in life come back to the US to study and build my career after the army. What paths did you all take and what do you recommend/discourage based on your experiences?

What mechina programs are best for Americans wanting to immerse themselves in israel and come out with a rewarding experience?

I’m really just looking for some basic advice/feedback as I’ve had many people encourage me and vise versa. Thanks

I’ve heard the IDF is very queer-friendly. I’m just mildly concerned about a few things- I’m non-binary, and I know that Israel doesn’t generally have a neutral option for gender on documents (the USA has an ‘X’ option, and I plan to get that set up before I leave). Does anyone on here know if (in terms of general opinion) most soldiers are… uhhhh how do I put this… okay with trans people existing? Also wondering if I have an ‘X’ on my legal documents, would that transfer over easily (I know I can get citizenship easily. I’m Jewish and I have my bat mitzvah certificate to prove it)?

Hi, I’m drafting to Michve in about 2 weeks. I did end up with a 45 medical profile (purely physical, not נפשי).

I’m trying to get a better idea of what more operational roles and units are available to someone with a 45 profile. I’m especially interested in נהג מבצעי, but I’d also like to learn about other תומכ״ל positions where you’re actually attached to an operational unit and have more of a field/operational role rather than being stuck doing an administrative job on a base.

For anyone who’s done these jobs:

What does the day2day actually look like?

For נהג מבצעי, can you end up attached to basically any kind of unit/brigade (golani, navy, chir, etc.), or is it more limited?

How much does the specific unit you’re assigned to affect what you actually end up doing?

For context I am an American Jew who will be graduating from college in the Spring of 2027 with a degree in urban planning and am planning to get a year of work experience and then join so at 23 years old. I would say I’m solidly above average in terms of physical health, and can read Hebrew but can’t speak very well. I’ve been to Israel many times and have family out there, so I know I want to serve in the IDF, but I’m not sure what unit I would be best for, as well as which method is the best for joining. I’m open to both combat and non combat roles, and would appreciate any advice. Thank you.

Drafting soon and I’ve always wanted like that moustache emperors and kings had in the 19th century like think Tsar Nicolas II or king George V. Wondering if I can realistically accomplish this especially with the new relaxed beard regulations

So I already have short hair, I’m fine for conscript service and I want to go I’ll an infantry brigade during active service but afterwards I’d like to grow my hair out, maybe to my shoulders just to do more with it in way of styles. I know there’s no way I can have long hair as a conscript but are they more lenient for reserves?

Forgive the absurdity of this post here, but I tried the IDF page, and was unwilling to give them my passport number after recent data breaches, but would like input from people who have served in the IDF or have used relevant equipment themselves on this matter.

I have a 70cm crown (8 3/4 hat size) and have been interested in getting a surplus Israeli gas mask, but have found nothing on how large of a head the size 1 of a 4A1 or M15 model could support. I have to custom order hats, motorcycle helmets, sometimes headsets, and so on. What I would like to know, does anyone have personal experience with this in relation to fitting a gas mask?

Is there someone who could offer me advice on fitting one comfortably? If someone were to wish to serve the IDF with such a head, would it be possible to fit any equipment to it, such has helmets? Is it possible to be a sufficient logistical burden with a head like this to disqualify someone from service?

I thank you for your time spent reading, and if you do reply, I thank you in advance for that as well.

In a couple months I’m drafting probably to shiryon, I want to buy a leatherman surge before that but I understand that the pocket knife/multitool, have to pass some requirements to be legal to carry out in base or in the street, is the surge legal to carry? Also wich leatherman multitools are legal or are all of them