Hi,
my name is Or and I am the co-coordinator for New Profile’s counselling network for the past 4 years. New Profile is an anti-militaristic feminist organization that works to create a more civil, tolerant, and peaceful society in Israel. One of our main projects is the counselling network, which provides consultation and legal aid for over a 1,000 people a year in the process of receiving an exemption from Israeli military service. We provide service to anyone who chooses this path, regardless of their reason, socio-economic background, or political affiliation. Refusal to serve for any reason is a political action and a critical component in the process of shifting Israeli society away from militarism and towards peace.
Photo credit: Breaking Walls
This means that if, for example, someone from the Ethiopian community chooses to refuse because of racism they and their family experienced by the government and different parts of society - it’s political. Or, if someone chooses not to enlist because they are the breadwinners in the household, and the Military pays soldiers under minimum wage even though the service is mandatory by law for at least 2-3 years - it’s political. If someone does not want to be a part of a militaristic hierarchical institution, or if they are in severe depression and cannot face military service, or even because they just don’t want to - all of these are legitimate reasons to refuse, and more so, they are important political statements.
In the past year we’ve seen a rise in the number of people who reach out to us for assistance in receiving an exemption from service for two reasons. One is resistance to serve under the current Israeli government that works to promote an even more violent and fascist agenda than previous governments, and the second is the enlistment orders sent to Russian-Ukrainian war refugees arriving in Israel. RSN works to enhance the refusers’ and resistance movements to militarism in Israel and is helping us cover some of the extra costs we have since this rise has begun. You can support our efforts by making a donation to support RSN and New Profile’s counselling network at this link.
Israel operates different programs to assist and lure Jews in the diaspora to immigrate to Israel, some of them assisting the Jewish Russian and Ukrainian refugees while lying to them about the maximum drafting age. Thus far, over a 1000 enlistment orders were sent to Russian and Ukrainian refugees that arrived in Israel. This is not spoken about at all in Israeli media - Newspapers aren't willing to publish about it and refugees fear doing interviews.
Some of the cases we meet on a regular basis are of Russian men who have decided that they will not take part in the Russia-Ukraine war, that they are not willing to kill or be killed, and had to be smuggled out of Russia, which has taken a toll on them and their families as they needed to use all their resources, financial and emotional, to leave the country. Just a few months after arriving in Israel they are being drafted to take part in the military occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Another type of cases are of Ukrainian women who fled the bloody war and could not even imagine there is even a possibility that they will be drafted to any military. There is no other “democratic” country with mandatory military service that applies to women, but in Israel, under the guise of the “people’s army” or “liberal feminism”, women have to become soldiers. This puts them in complete shock, which increases their already existing feeling of helplessness.
We feel this situation is completely absurd - enlisting war refugees for a different war to occupy another people. We need your help in strengthening the refusal movement to make sure anyone who wants to refuse will be able to do so. Donate to RSN to strengthen the Israeli refuser movement at this link.
New Profile is the only organization that supports the refugees, and the number of requests we receive for counselling keeps rising. We make sure to train Ukrainian and Russian speaking people to provide support, and keep any communication with the refugees anonymous, so they won’t be exposed to any risk because of it. This work is even more crucial with the current government who pushes forward laws and regulations that limit the ability to get a military exemption, that increases the amount of weapons in civil society areas, that educates children to fascists and racist values, and deepens the occupation of the Palestinian people.
It breaks my heart that no one knows about this horrible thing happening and nobody talks about this, so it keeps happening. That is why I’m happy for the opportunity to share this information with you. Please donate to RSN to help the Israeli refuser movement grow and to help us increase the assistance the counselling network can give individuals in distress.
To days without wars and weapons,
Or Ben David