Eve Young – Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha 2016

“It took my only one seminar to understand I want to be a part of Garin Tzabar and join the IDF as a lone solider with this program. I was super excited about the social structure and support system I knew I would get out of it.”

I made Aliyah when I was 6 with my whole family and right before I turned 16, my family decided to move back to the States.

After a year in college, I decided that I missed Israel and wanted to move back  but I wanted to finish my degree first, so I waited till my senior year to start planning my return to Israel.
I had a lot of support of family friends who still lived in Israel, so I wasn’t sure I was to make this huge move with Garin Tzabar, but decided to check it out and arrived to the first Garin seminar.

It took me only one seminar to understand I want to be a part of Garin Tzabar and join the IDF as a lone solider with this program. I was super excited about the social structure and support system I knew I would get out of it.

I was in Garin student at Kibbutz Ein Hashelosha in 2016. I wasn’t easy to adjust to the army life after I drafted, and Garin Tzabar really helped and supported me through it all. My amazing Rakaz was supportive and the Head of Tzabar Department in the IDF helped me getting the army position I wanted, my mashakiot also helped me make all the important decisions even though they had already moved to their next jobs. Even members of previous Garinim from my kibbutz who no longer lived there helped me through all of the transitions.

I finally found the right place for me in the army, in huge part thanks to Garin Tzabar helping me through the logistics of 2 job changes (yikes). I got to be a combat soldier at Anti-Aircraft unit, a commander and even received the president award on Yom Ha’atzmaut 2018 .

Some of my best friends in Israel and the people I still see most regularly are from my Garin.