Jared White-Jewish and Zionist Hero
I have probably known Jared White at least 8 or 9 years since he first started coming to the Young Judaea Conventions that I organized as the Regional Director for Florida during the 1990's. He was one of those rare teenagers who seemed comfortable with his place in the world and with himself. He struck me as somebody who was mature beyond his years, used to working, and, unlike the vast majority of kids of his age and era, didn't expect everything to be handed to him on a silver platter or expect to be thanked to high heaven for his personal contribution every time he picked up a scrap of paper and threw it in the trash. He was likable and got along with most people and even when he was in the wrong he readily acknowledged it.
Now Jared does come from a very involved Jewish Family. And he is a second generation Young Judaean. His mother was a Judaean, went on YJ's Year Course in Israel program and is very involved in Hadassah. So he did have the right inspiration.
I wasn't surprised when Jared participated in the 2003-2004 year course. It was a tremendous year for him and he learned and benefited a lot from the experience. He spent three months on Kibbutz Ketura when we were there and we "adopted" him as our son. About six months or so after returning to the U.S. Jared made aliyah, went to a kibbutz ulpan and eventually joined the army. He recently just finished his masa kumptah, (60 kilometer hike/run carrying soldiers on stretchers) to Jerusalem. This was the culmination of several months of basic training in order to receive the red beret of the Israeli Paratroopers. I went there to join him and his friends in sharing with him this event. He looked good, proud, and pleased, after so many months of training to have finally received this milestone.
When he was on Year Course we had had, "the talk." The talk was about his desire to make aliyah. He told me he wanted to come and join the army. Jared had a friend who was going in the army whose family had made aliyah from the Tampa/Clearwater Florida area (where Jared is from). "I love Israel. I have a strong Jewish Identity and feel this is my home. Why should he have to serve in the army and I don't," Jared had said. I told him that I understood his feelings, however: (and that is where I gave him my "speech." Over the years I have given this speech a few times with varying degrees of success. I told him that I understood his feelings about wanting to join the army, however, if he really wanted to make aliyah and help Israel, the best thing that he could do would be to go back to the US, go to college or school and learn a profession, work for a couple of years, save some money, and then come back. That way he would be an immigrant who could immediately enter the work force and contribute to Israel's economy. Plus, I remarked, if you make aliyah in your mid twenties or so, you were still eligible to do a short stint in the army and contribute to Israel's defense by serving in the reserves.
It didn't really have much of an affect as the attached picture can attest to.
Jared followed his destiny as a Zionist and a Jew... In a recent poll it was revealed that only about a third of young American Jewish adults feel that identifying with Israel is an integral part of their Jewish identity. So somebody like Jared is rare.
I have met, over the years, several young immigrants who, filled with visions of emulating Ari Ben Canaan after seeing the movie Exodus (or reading the book) too many times, go into the army with absolutely unrealistic expectations, not ready for the rigueur of army life (this is one of the reasons I don't recommend these 18 year old American kids go into the Israeli army-some would disagree with my opinion). Jared, on the other hand is a success story. He not only has successfully completed all of the stages of training for the Israeli paratroopers (including the jump course), but this week started a squad leaders course. Jared has told me that they have spoken to him about going to officer's candidate school also.
Am I glad that Jared did not take my advice? I have mixed feelings about it. He has about two more years to go in the army. Anything could happen during that time. He is more than aware of that. But he is happy. He feels good about what he is doing. It's right for him, that much is obvious. I am proud of him. I will be glad when he is discharged from the army safe and sound. In the meantime, I support him. He is doing what he feels is right in contributing to Israel and fulfilling his Judaism and Zionism. I feel a certain sense of responsibility also. Last May, there was a ceremony at the Western Wall, where he and his class of recruits were sworn into the paratroopers. There they received a bible and their rifle. After the ceremony, when I was congratulating him, he told me that I was one of the reasons he was in Israel, in uniform.
I will continue to pray for his safety and well being. I hope his service in the Israeli Army continues to be a positive experience.
**Note: after the ceremony where Jared received his red beret, I met three other soldiers from Florida who had, for various reasons, decided to make aliyah on their own and join the army. All the best to them also.
I have probably known Jared White at least 8 or 9 years since he first started coming to the Young Judaea Conventions that I organized as the Regional Director for Florida during the 1990's. He was one of those rare teenagers who seemed comfortable with his place in the world and with himself. He struck me as somebody who was mature beyond his years, used to working, and, unlike the vast majority of kids of his age and era, didn't expect everything to be handed to him on a silver platter or expect to be thanked to high heaven for his personal contribution every time he picked up a scrap of paper and threw it in the trash. He was likable and got along with most people and even when he was in the wrong he readily acknowledged it.
Now Jared does come from a very involved Jewish Family. And he is a second generation Young Judaean. His mother was a Judaean, went on YJ's Year Course in Israel program and is very involved in Hadassah. So he did have the right inspiration.
I wasn't surprised when Jared participated in the 2003-2004 year course. It was a tremendous year for him and he learned and benefited a lot from the experience. He spent three months on Kibbutz Ketura when we were there and we "adopted" him as our son. About six months or so after returning to the U.S. Jared made aliyah, went to a kibbutz ulpan and eventually joined the army. He recently just finished his masa kumptah, (60 kilometer hike/run carrying soldiers on stretchers) to Jerusalem. This was the culmination of several months of basic training in order to receive the red beret of the Israeli Paratroopers. I went there to join him and his friends in sharing with him this event. He looked good, proud, and pleased, after so many months of training to have finally received this milestone.
When he was on Year Course we had had, "the talk." The talk was about his desire to make aliyah. He told me he wanted to come and join the army. Jared had a friend who was going in the army whose family had made aliyah from the Tampa/Clearwater Florida area (where Jared is from). "I love Israel. I have a strong Jewish Identity and feel this is my home. Why should he have to serve in the army and I don't," Jared had said. I told him that I understood his feelings, however: (and that is where I gave him my "speech." Over the years I have given this speech a few times with varying degrees of success. I told him that I understood his feelings about wanting to join the army, however, if he really wanted to make aliyah and help Israel, the best thing that he could do would be to go back to the US, go to college or school and learn a profession, work for a couple of years, save some money, and then come back. That way he would be an immigrant who could immediately enter the work force and contribute to Israel's economy. Plus, I remarked, if you make aliyah in your mid twenties or so, you were still eligible to do a short stint in the army and contribute to Israel's defense by serving in the reserves.
It didn't really have much of an affect as the attached picture can attest to.
Jared followed his destiny as a Zionist and a Jew... In a recent poll it was revealed that only about a third of young American Jewish adults feel that identifying with Israel is an integral part of their Jewish identity. So somebody like Jared is rare.
I have met, over the years, several young immigrants who, filled with visions of emulating Ari Ben Canaan after seeing the movie Exodus (or reading the book) too many times, go into the army with absolutely unrealistic expectations, not ready for the rigueur of army life (this is one of the reasons I don't recommend these 18 year old American kids go into the Israeli army-some would disagree with my opinion). Jared, on the other hand is a success story. He not only has successfully completed all of the stages of training for the Israeli paratroopers (including the jump course), but this week started a squad leaders course. Jared has told me that they have spoken to him about going to officer's candidate school also.
Am I glad that Jared did not take my advice? I have mixed feelings about it. He has about two more years to go in the army. Anything could happen during that time. He is more than aware of that. But he is happy. He feels good about what he is doing. It's right for him, that much is obvious. I am proud of him. I will be glad when he is discharged from the army safe and sound. In the meantime, I support him. He is doing what he feels is right in contributing to Israel and fulfilling his Judaism and Zionism. I feel a certain sense of responsibility also. Last May, there was a ceremony at the Western Wall, where he and his class of recruits were sworn into the paratroopers. There they received a bible and their rifle. After the ceremony, when I was congratulating him, he told me that I was one of the reasons he was in Israel, in uniform.
I will continue to pray for his safety and well being. I hope his service in the Israeli Army continues to be a positive experience.
**Note: after the ceremony where Jared received his red beret, I met three other soldiers from Florida who had, for various reasons, decided to make aliyah on their own and join the army. All the best to them also.
posted by Unknown @ 3:21 PM
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