Reporting for duty

The Israeli voter has decided on a new civil agenda, at the top of which, it seems, is the issue of "equally sharing the national burden." This term, which we have already made part of our discourse, is faulty at its core. Army or national service, contributing to the greater good, is not a "burden." To a much greater degree it is more of a moral imperative, and even a right.

But even if the awaited for change is finally achieved (or "equality," for those who still insist on calling it that, full equality will never happen), there will still be a minority group which continues to serve and contribute more than others, and it won't necessarily grow following this change. I'm talking about the reservists.

Only a small percentage of the population actually does reserve duty — from one day out of the year to 100 or more. As the amount of service days per year grows, which is subject to tasks, ranks and various units, so the number of reservists dwindles.

The reason that the reserve army won't grow in any significant manner, even if mandatory enlistment increases, is our modern lifestyle. Due to the competitiveness of the rat race we are in, reserve duty is a handicap and an obstacle for the reservist and his environment (his wife and employer, for example). Today, many employers prefer to hire people who don't do reserve duty, those who don't "disappear" for a few days every year.

Many wives of reservists work and manage careers, and when their husbands are off in the army they must also manage their households and care for their children. From one reserve duty to the next I see the mounting difficulties faced by those with families, as the pressure from their spouses is piled atop the pressure from their employers. And I haven't even touched on those who are self-employed.

To preserve this precious human resource it is important to make a principled decision, stemming from our national interest, and legislate affirmative action benefits in several areas for reservists. Such benefits would reward employers, the spouses, the self-employed, the students and all reservists in general.

This preferential treatment will be provided throughout the reservist's service — but not as a direct payment and not as a salary — this is not why we report for duty. There are many ways to offer significant compensation and provide real gratitude; for example: Tax benefits, including real estate, property tax, housing and student discounts; preferring reservists for public service employment and for awarding publicly tendered government contracts.

Promoting civil rights within the framework of coalition negotiations for these citizens, who don their uniforms any time they are asked to and defend the state with their lives, is a moral and ethical necessity for all of the political parties participating in negotiations, including the ultra-Orthodox parties.

It is no longer shameful to say openly that those who serve, those who give, are worth more and deserve more — and that if need be, this should also come at the expense of the service dodgers themselves. In the army we were taught that there is no such thing as "I can't," there is only "I don't want to." The still unformed government can usher in revolutionary change in regards to the reservists.

The writer is the coordinator of the reserve soldiers department for "Im Tirtzu."