Women during a try-out for combat roles in the IDF. Photo: Itamar Moatty, IDF Spokesperson

Photo: Itamar Moatty, IDF Spokesperson

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This week, hundreds of girls left their homes and high school studies, and came to the try-outs (known in Hebrew as gibush) for combat units in the IDF.  During the gibush, the girls will be tested for combat roles opened for women in the IDF. Among the roles offered include: combat soldiers in the Oketz Unit (a unit that specializes in training and handling dogs), Search and Rescue Unit of the Home Front Command, Israel Border Police, Artillery Corps and Caracal Battalion. All these units are made up of women and men soldiers working together.

The gibush is a very unique experience, and where only the girls with high motivation for combat service will pass. "The girls come for a very challenging full day," explained commander of the gibush, Major Miri Ben-Shimon. "This week there are two sessions of girls. We are looking for girls who perform well in a team, who help, who have the ability to survive and especially girls with high motivation who will not give up on themselves."

To pick out the girls who are most fitting for combat units, a professional team was put together, who know exactly what is required from combat soldiers in the IDF. The team follows the girls all throughout the gibush.

During the gibush, all the girls meet with women combat soldiers from the units offered to them, where they were told about the various roles. At the end of the day, each girl filled out a preference questionnaire in which she ranks the units she would like to serve in according to her preference.

"I went into combat because I wanted to give as much as I can to the state and I felt that I can do it by serving as a combat soldier," explained Lt. Yarden Shukron, company commander in the Shahar battalion, a battalion in the Search and Rescue Unit of the Home Front Command, who came to talk to the girls about her unit. "I feel that as much as I contributed to the IDF I got back much more. I'm already in the army for 5 years now and I am still smiling. The additional year that the combat girls need to sign on contributes to their confidence. Today at age 22 I have about 150 soldiers, it's amazing!"