In his hands: Ivri will enter first grade while dad is between reserve duty rounds
For thousands of families in Israel, the start of the school year comes again this year in the shadow of prolonged reserve duty. While other parents accompany their children to kindergarten and first grade, there are those who are forced to say goodbye again and head to Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank. For 6.5-year-old Ivri, who will start first grade today, his father will be able to be there for the first moment – but will have to return to reserve duty in Lebanon.
September 1st is typically accompanied by white shirts and excitement for the start of the school year. But this morning, alongside the red carpets and balloons, there are those for whom the Israeli reality paints the start of the school year in different shades. While some parents were privileged to hug, photograph, and hold their children's hands during their first steps into school, many men and women drafted for reserve duty will not be able to accompany their children, and for some, this is their first experience with the school system.
Many reservists are on another exhausting and prolonged round in Gaza, Lebanon, or the West Bank, and the personal price that they and their families pay is heavy. Ivri Bris (6.5) will enter first grade this year; his father, D., serves as a commander of a classified unit and has performed almost 600 days of reserve duty since October 7th.
Paar, Ivri's mother and D.'s wife, is part of the organization "Ha-Mitmarnot" ("The Maneuvering Ones"), which for three years has been navigating life between their own reserve duty and that of their spouses while maintaining the home front. She says:
"When we thought about it recently, we realized that from Rosh Hashanah 5786 to Rosh Hashanah 5787, he was on seven months of reserve duty. This means that for more than half a year, he was not at home."
Their little daughter, Tov, is entering pre-kindergarten. Paar adds:
"On September 1st, my husband will accompany Ivri to first grade, but the rest of the time he is in Lebanon. This is the third year he is on call on September 1st, and the fifth year that we are spending holidays without him, because there was reserve duty even before October 7th. We feel at home all the time that the government of Israel signed us up for permanent service without us signing. They rely on us much more than we are able to give, and expect life to continue as usual."
According to Ivri: "It is hard for me that dad is on reserve duty, but I am excited about first grade, and dad knows how to calm me down."
