Student recalls serving in Israeli army

Standing at his Israeli checkpoint in the Palestinian town of Nablus during a hot summer day, Elie Berman found it peculiar as a man in a heavy coat approached his Israeli Defense Forces unit.

The stranger was asked to remove his coat, but he refused, leading Berman and his fellow soldiers to aim their M16s at the young man. As the troublesome stranger removed his coat, he revealed the explosives taped tightly across his chest, resulting in his arrest.

Berman, now a freshman government and politics major, is a former soldier in the Israeli army. After 14 months serving in the army, his first semester back in the United States, although less exciting, has been a challenge of its own.

A native of Baltimore, Berman graduated from Beth T'filoh High School in 2004, deferred admission to this university for a year and traveled to Israel, where he studied at a small religious college outside of Jerusalem.

At the conclusion of the year-long program, Berman had two choices: return home and enroll at the university or stay in Israel and join the army. Berman decided to take the more challenging route.

"I have an obligation as a Jew to help protect the Jewish people," he said. "I had it in my grasp and I couldn't just throw it away."

Though the idea of entering the army had been slowly building in his mind throughout the year, it wasn't until the spring of 2005 that Berman finally made the decision to commit the next year and a half to the army.

"We were sort of surprised when we found out," said his mother, Ann Berman, "but it wasn't completely unexpected."

After Berman trained for seven months, which included a 60 kilometer march through the Jordan Valley, he received his beret and officially became a corporal in his unit.

Ann Berman said that during the time her son was in Israel, whether attending classes or performing operations in the West Bank to prevent terrorist attacks, she spoke to him nearly every day.

"It was very important for me to hear his voice," she said. "Israel is Israel, and it's your kid, and you want to know how they're doing when they're far away."

During last summer's war in Lebanon, the soldiers in his unit were scheduled to travel up north for rescue missions. But they were sent back before they ever got to Lebanon to continue patrolling the West Bank and fill the void left by the units who were sent into battle.

"The few times when I was in actual combat, it moves so quickly you don't even think about it," Berman says. "But looking back you're like, 'Holy s---, that was close.'"

In November 2006, Berman completed his service and reapplied to this university where he is now a 21-year-old first-semester freshman.

In the past week, several campus events have united the Jewish community to recognize Israeli Independence Day such as a fair on Hornbake Mall yesterday that featured camel riding and free falafel.

Berman spoke during last Monday's Yom Hazikaron ceremony at Hillel, an event that honors those who have given their lives for the Jewish state. For Berman, who lost one of his commanders last summer when he was shot on a patrol mission in Nablus, the event had a personal touch.

"It was very emotional last week," he said. "Last year was also emotional, but this year..." he trailed off. "I didn't know anyone who was killed last year."

Berman will return to Israel this summer, but this time he will be taking Arabic language classes at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He hopes that speaking both Hebrew and Arabic will aid him if he pursues a career in security with a government organization.

But whatever challenges are presented in his next job, they likely will pale in comparison to thwarting suicide bombers.

"Being in places where your life is on the line," he said, "that's when you feel like you're actually accomplishing something."

Contact reporter Melissa Weiss at weissdbk@gmail.com.