IDF reservists neglected after serving since October 7 - opinion

The time has come for the government of the State of Israel to take care of its reserve soldiers. Reservist combat soldiers are collapsing in their personal and professional lives after more than two hundred days of Miluim (reserve duty). At the beginning of the war, there was an effort to support reservists by the government and public, but they have now been forgotten.

The main challenges that the typical reservist faces can be split up into four categories: mental health, employment, familial relationships, and studies. In my reserve unit, the Alexandroni Brigade (which has served more than 220 days in Gaza and the north) and in almost every other combat reserve unit, friends and colleagues I have spoken with are struggling with these difficulties and many others.

Much of the aid provided by the government to reservists does not differentiate between reservists who served 30 days and those who served 300 days. Changes must be made to assist reservists depending on the number of days served.

Mental health

Every person who has been in the reserves reacts differently. However, many have issues they carry with them that they must address in order to function. There are instances of intense PTSD, while many more soldiers face problems like anger, impatience, lack of empathy, and indifference that can’t be overlooked.

The state offered a grant of NIS 1500 for psychological treatment to those who served more than 30 days in reserves. These funds help for only a limited number of treatments. Many reservists have spent more than 200 days in Gaza and the north, and if they want to deal with their mental health challenges, they will have to pay out of their own pocket.

When exiting combat zones, soldiers go through limited group sessions with mental health professionals to discuss their experiences and learn coping strategies. This is an excellent resource for soldiers straight out of combat and should be expanded. Some soldiers attempt to create a dialogue with the professionals they meet, while many who need assistance do not. Increased funds need to be provided to set up an infrastructure that addresses both severe and minor mental health issues, which are impacting many reservists but are being neglected.

Employment

The professional impact on reservists is profound and multifaceted. Many reservists hold senior positions in their companies, such as managers and team lead, and their extended absences often lead to their responsibilities being transferred or their positions being filled. For those in junior roles or newly hired employees, their career advancement is halted, and they risk being replaced. The unemployed reservist put their job search and family on hold when they saw that Israel needed them most. Lastly, students and those who recently finished their degrees need to get hired in junior positions to secure their future careers, but they chose their country before themselves. Self-employed individuals and small business owners face additional challenges as their businesses suffer from their prolonged absence.

The government has implemented measures such as salary payments as well as limited support for small businesses. However, accessing these benefits has proven challenging due to bureaucratic obstacles. Small businesses can apply for funds through a dedicated government bank (Keren Siyua), but responses have been slow, and operational funding is only available after extended delays.

It is difficult to blame the companies and businesses that are putting reservists aside and choosing not to promote, demote, or refrain from hiring reservists altogether. Businesses need to be profitable, and it is entirely logical for them to demand that their managers and employees show up on a consistent basis. Of course, they would prefer employees who will not disappear for months at a time.

To address these issues, the government needs to introduce a comprehensive support system that includes tax benefits, subsidies, and incentives to encourage companies to hire and retain reservists. Tax breaks and other financial aid should be provided to both businesses and reservists to mitigate the career impacts of extended service. Much of the same is true for spouses of reservists who bear the entire weight of their household when their husbands go to war.

Family

The impact on reservists' families is often the most distressing and least addressed. Every soldier has left their loved ones to go and serve. I imagine that you know couples who have separated because of reserve duty, children who have developed many kinds of issues, and other challenges that reservist families are dealing with daily. This is besides the stress and lack of sleep that relatives are going through as their loved ones are in combat. Singles find dating incredibly difficult, and they often don’t have a loving spouse or family to come home to after weeks at a time in combat. It’s unclear how the state can deal with this, but we have to think about this issue differently, as unpleasant as it is to speak about.

The State has provided a grant of 1500 NIS for couples therapy for those who served more than 30 days, which many couples have used for fun activities together to strengthen their relationships. This is very important, and the state should allocate more funds to reservists who have served hundreds of days to help them maintain their familial relationships. The state has also held events and given vouchers for movies and other activities that can be done with family members. Different costs like babysitting, house repairs, and others can be submitted to the government bank fund (Keren Siyua) for reimbursement.

More focus needs to be given to the mental health of children of reservists and their relationships with their parents who have gone to serve. The government announced a paid vacation for reservists of 1500 NIS for those who served more than 60 days, with an increase for reservists with children. This is very important and gives families a chance to have fun, relax, and bond together at a destination in a hotel or guest house of their choosing all around Israel. The vacation was promised months ago and has been delayed indefinitely. Similarly, it does not differentiate between reservists who served 60 days and those who have given much more.

Studies

Since October 7th, many university students have been in uniform. Many reservists have postponed their studies while others are struggling to keep up with their degree track. Personally, before the war, my grades were in the nineties, and since returning to service, I have barely broken eighties in my courses. In Miluim, we are unable to learn, and the second we return home, we put every other pressing part of life on hold to try our very best to learn the material and pass our exams.

The universities don’t contact the reservists or proactively assist them. The initiative must come from the student who had returned from Gaza just a few days before. When the student decides to contact the university after more than 200 days in reserves, they realize that the help and guidance that can be provided are insufficient.

The class coordinators who have the ability to provide aid to the returned soldier often claim that they cannot assist. The student is then sent to a different office within the university, and so the bureaucratic ping-pong begins for this returning warrior. When the reservist reaches the correct person, they explain to him that he isn’t eligible for assistance in course “x” because of fine print (that it’s a first-year course, math course, etc.). For myself and many others, reserve duty has damaged our GPAs and will surely hurt our chances of being accepted to future jobs and master's programs.

In March, the government introduced a support program for reservist students, offering partial relief but capped to 100 days of service. The accommodations presented were based on how many days of reserves the student had completed. The first, between 30 and 60 days, the second between 61 to 99, and the third category for soldiers who served more than 100 days. At the time of the publication of the plan, it seemed that the number of days was in the range done by many reservists, but there were reservists who served many more days than what the plan accounted for (my unit, the Alexandroni Brigade, had already served 150 days). Today, 5 months after the initial plan was introduced, as many combat reservists have been called again two, three, or four times, with many serving over 200 days, the plan is surely insufficient.

The program included a small number of academic credits, the option to take home tests in limited courses, and exemptions from some assignments. Additionally, a grant of NIS 11,296 towards partial tuition costs was provided for those serving over 60 days in combat, though this amount did not scale with longer service periods. The process to receive these funds has been cumbersome, with many reservists still awaiting payments. These allowances were a lifesaver to reservists, but simply not enough, and there was no oversight or enforcement on the universities to execute the plan.

Many universities have lacked the empathy and understanding to reach out to students, causing reservists to contact and send emails themselves to the universities, oftentimes from within combat zones.

These issues are hurting reservists and damaging their morale and willingness to serve. The incentives put forth months ago must be expanded and consistent with the number of days served. Many allowances were helpful, but there is also room to do more, such as providing extra time on tests, tutoring, and creating an infrastructure that ensures the student warriors get what they need to complete their studies.

Conclusion

In the list of grants provided by the government, almost all the benefits for reservists are for those who have served over 30 days, and there is no increase in benefits for those who have served over 150, 200, or 250 days. This is true for the grants that provide marital and psychological therapy, vacation grants (that have been delayed indefinitely), student grants, compensation for the self-employed, and more.

Many have chosen to stop attending reserves because of the challenges listed above and others. I am aware that the government cannot push a button and make all the problems disappear, but many buttons can be pushed instead of ignoring these tough issues.

Many will argue for the integrity of the education system or the workforce in government committees and in Israeli courts against any further assistance to reservists. I want those same people to feel what it is like to go into Gaza while being mortared, shot at, and having their friends blown up and injured in their arms. I want them to understand what it is like to have their families not sleep for months and have their lives halted because they are sacrificing everything for others.

There must be an open dialogue on these concerns and others, and I hope there will be a fundamental change so that we don’t collapse from the great price we are paying. I and many others will continue to show up for reserves as many times as we are called because we know that our country and Jewish people need us.

Benjamin Sipzner served over 220 days as a reservist combat soldier in Gaza and the north. He is an Oleh from New York who completed his service as a lone soldier in the IDF. He is a former advisor to the Minister of Aliyah and other Knesset Members and a university student learning Economics and Business Management. He has managed international activities for Israeli NGOs and Israeli election campaigns in English. He can be found on  Linkedin and reached at sipznerbenjamin@gmail.com.