Finally, some changes to Shlav Bet!

From Jpost

Aug. 3, 2007 1:45 | Updated Aug. 3, 2007 15:34
IDF revamping 'Shlav Bet' for new olim
By YAAKOV KATZ

Under pressure from new immigrants and in an effort to encourage aliya and better utilize its human resources, the IDF is in the final stages of revamping its Shlav Bet program for immigrant men who join the army in their mid-20s and plans to begin tailoring jobs for those from Western countries, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

The new plan, the brainchild of OC Human Resources Maj.-Gen. Elazar Stern, is designed to better utilize immigrants who arrive in Israel at an age at which they can still serve in the IDF. The program is a joint effort with the Immigrant Absorption Ministry, which plans to advertise the initiative on its Web site and in target communities in the West.

In the meantime, the Post has learned of a group of new immigrants currently serving in Shlav Bet who, lamenting that they were wasting much of their time and could perform more useful service, sent a proposal including a number of key recommendations on Thursday to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and to IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi.

Shlav Bet is a service track designed for new immigrants aged 22 to 25. It consists of six months of military service including basic training, an optional Hebrew ulpan and then a course that trains the soldiers to fill a variety of positions - including as tractor drivers, tank mechanics, artillery operators and truck drivers. On average, the IDF holds two Shlav Bet drafts a year consisting of some 200 recruits.

Following the drop in the number of immigrants to Israel and a simultaneous increase in the number of immigrants coming from Western countries such as the United States, France and Great Britain, the IDF decided to revamp the program and instead of "throwing" soldiers into jobs while ignoring their degrees and work experience, the army will now work to find personally-tailored jobs for the new recruits.

"The makeup of new olim today has changed," a senior officer in the IDF Human Resources Department told the Post Thursday. "We are aware of this and are working to make the necessary changes so we can better utilize the soldiers and their skills."

In their own proposal sent out this week, the Shlav Bet soldiers bring two examples of soldiers who came to Israel highly motivated and with advanced degrees but spent their military service cleaning gardens in various military bases. One soldier had a degree in international relations from Oxford University and had worked in the British Parliament. He asked to serve in the IDF's Strategic Planning Division but instead spent months cleaning Northern Command headquarters in Safed.

"We came to Israel to serve in the army and contribute," a Shlav Bet soldier told the Post. "But instead we are doing absolutely nothing and we, as a human resource, are being wasted."

Fearing a drop in aliya numbers, the IDF is planning to interview all recruits for the next Shlav Bet draft, scheduled for December, prior to their enlistment and to try to find them jobs that suit their qualifications.

This week, the IDF signed up a new immigrant with an engineering degree from MIT to a three-year service in the air force. It does not, however, promise to replicate anything like that for Shlav Bet soldiers. And if a Shlav Bet recruit would like to serve in a more serious job according to his/her qualifications, he or she would need to sign on for an extended military service of at least one to two years.

Jobs will be found "according to the degrees and qualifications the recruits come with," an officer said. "We are looking for people with degrees in exact science, engineering and international relations. If someone comes with a degree in fitness or sports, we may not be able to make use of that."

Savlanut

One of the first things olim (new immigrants) learn upon arriving in Israel is how to cope with Israeli bureaucracy. You would think that having better customer service, longer hours of operation and helpful clerks would actually make the companies/government more money and make life easier for everyone. If that’s what you thought, you would be completely wrong and still living in the “North American head space”. It may seem like a foreign concept to wait in endless lines, initial and sign hundreds of mystery documents, and receive mail with no apparent purpose other than the bank or power company wanting to be in touch. That’s more or less just the way Israel works, fighting the system or trying to change it is usually frustrating and pointless.

Many new immigrants assume these are all just things they don’t understand, and with time they will figure the system out. The only problem is most Israelis have no idea what any of these things mean either, but they do know how to work the system. Dealing with everything from the government to the post office and the banks is like trying to roll a huge boulder uphill while people on the sidelines shout directions at you in a language you can’t understand. Being truly Israeli is a matter of creating balance, a cultural feng shui. There must be a careful balance between two concepts, savlanut and being atzbani.

Savlanut is the concept of patience, taking a deep breath, and not getting frustrated when you realize the bank is only open for three hours on Tuesdays. Savlanut is the reason why we don’t have drive by shootings, people killing each other while waiting in line, and endless public brawling. I guess it also helps you have to check your gun when you visit most government offices and beer is sold in corner stores. I once asked at the Jerusalem DMV why you have to check in your gun before standing in line to wait you turn to argue with the unhelpful clerk. She just stared at me and asked “don’t you think it just makes sense?” It seems that utilizing savlanut is extremely important to get through the day and to deal with the million and one hassles that someone from North America just can’t understand. Why does the tax office think everything you import in your lift contain bottles of single malt scotch and cartons of cigarettes? At the tax rates they inexplicably charge, it would be cheaper to forget the furniture back home and buy a couple cases of alcohol and tobacco here to help you get through the home shopping experience. So take a deep breath and just exhale, reminding yourself its all worth it because you’re now in Israel.

When all else fails, and it quite often does, the real Israeli turns to the second half of the equation. If savlanut is the force side of the Israeli persona, becoming atzbani is nothing less than the dark side. When one finds it’s no longer possible to maintain self control, keep calm and wait patiently, its time to turn atzbani. Like the Hulk getting angry, the screaming, shouting and hysterics come bursting to the surface. The glare, the shouting, the “try me and see what happens” attitude are all parts of getting really, really atzbani. Many Israelis evoke this tactic after waiting in line for a couple minutes, or may even get started while on the drive over. As a North American, you will still have plenty of patience when the entire line has already passed you, gone berserk, and gotten exactly what they wanted by virtue of screaming alone. You may be tempted to copy the Israelis and do some screaming on your own. Just remember, the important thing is not to apologize in between each epithet at the clerk’s mother and his choice of shirt. Apologizing and displaying savlanut in an atzbani situation confuses people. It makes them think you are a fryer (sucker) and are meant to take advantage of, if only to teach you a lesson. Being atzbani is not about creating enemies or making the other person feel bad, it’s just a way of getting what you want. As the maxim goes, he who screams loudest gets exactly what he wants, with a discount to top it off. Just because you went ballistic on someone and got what you wanted, it’s important to remember that in Israel the other person is now your friend, you have been through a cultural exchange, not an exchange of insults or verbal taunting.

The bottom line, try to stay calm, try to figure out how to work the system, wade through endless paper work and keep a smile on your face. When all else fails, blow your top and see if screaming accomplishes anything. Either way, its all part of the experience, welcome to Israel!