The Orange Tree: An Israeli reserve soldier speaks about loss

Guest writer: E. 

On the 22nd day of your 8th Order* you get 24 hours off. All you want to do is run away, to some small island of sanity. Just for a few hours. To forget the bizarre interlacing between arguments about spoiled chocolate milk and never-ending political discussions, between despair in the face of others’ positions (that, in your mind, steer us towards the abyss), and the deep friendships forged only in the melting pot of dull hours of guarding, black coffee and cigarettes. The hybridity of being an enlisted soldier and a concerned citizen, of dying from boredom but also being a heroic fighter given care packages, even as it is clear that there is a much realer front, and all of us are climbing up the walls, worrying about our friends, acquaintances and brothers who are there. And also about the civilians. Ours and even (when…