Noam Zissman is a second lieutenant in the Israeli Defense Force Infantry, and he says he’s currently fighting not one, but two wars while he serves his country in the battle with Palestine.
One war, he says, is in the field while the other one is against the media that many feel says Israel has already lost the battle.
Zissman and Moran Kalinsky, both 20-year-old military officers, were at the Union on Wednesday night to answer questions from the MSU community and other guests about what life is like in the midst of a bloody battle.
Kalinsky is a first lieutenant and a deputy commander of a basic training base. The idea of media influence on the opinions of the world is something both officers feel has been a huge issue.
“The media is against us,” Zissman said. “They take only one picture, but that doesn’t show what was going on.”
He said it’s hard to argue with pictures, and it makes people misunderstand what’s going on. They also fielded questions from students questioning whether it would be safe to study abroad in Israel with the ongoing conflict.
Thursday, for example, a car bomb killed two Israelis near a crowded Jerusalem market. It escalated tensions as Israeli and Palestinian leaders delayed a truce that would have ended fighting.
An MSU study abroad program slated to begin in December has not yet been canceled, but officials are considering nixing the trip if battles continue. Three students currently studying in Israel have also been asked to return to MSU.
Kalinsky said since much of the fighting is being done in territories of Israel, students might want to stay away from those areas. Otherwise, a trip to Israel would likely be peaceful, she said.
The event was organized by advertising senior Assaf Avni, who is the president of the MSU Friends of Israel. He was extremely pleased with the guests.
“It is great that so many people turned out,” Avni said. “It really shows there are people who are interested in learning more about the situation beyond what the media has to say.”
Both officers say it was important to keep their personal views of the battle to themselves. In turn, though, Zissman did say, “We’re not here to justify what’s going on.”
And general management sophomore Lisa Blechman said she was pleased with how the two Israeli officers kept personal views at large.
“They did not impose their personal views which is important,” said Blechman, who’s Jewish and has family in Israel.
Joining the Israeli army is required for any youth 18 years or older. Both officers, though, say it’s something every teenager looks forward to. And even despite the current conflict, life is normal - and fun - for Israeli youth.
“People still go to work and school and have fun as they usually would,” Zissman said. “And they don’t do it wearing gas masks. Normal life can’t stop just because of these events.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
