In recent years, tens of thousands of youth have undergone a "journey in the footsteps of fighters" – an experiential seminar that usually takes place in the framework of a pre-military preparatory program, youth movement or high school.
One of the highlights of the trip is the speech of Israel's hero, Brig. Gen. (res.) Avigdor Kahalani, who "with his leadership and personality gave a personal example to his soldiers who were on the verge of breaking... He showed wonderful leadership and personal heroism in a difficult and complicated battle, the results of which changed the face of the campaign in the Golan Heights" - according to the description of the act that won him the Medal of Valor. Kahalani ends his speech holding an Israeli flag and extending it to the young people in front of him.
"Now it's your turn," he says, making it clear to those sitting opposite him that he, just like them, is a link in the chain of the people of Israel, whose military service was never conditional, and that he does not regret for a moment his contribution to the country, even when there is a government with which he does not agree.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, Kan 11 premiered the masterpiece series "The One", which tells the story of the 201st Squadron during the war.
Interwoven with the descriptions of the imaginative battles and the hair-raising experiences of captivity, interwoven alongside the tough and arrogant machismo are touching moments of humanity of those who, despite their iron appearance, are also human beings.
It's hard not to see the subtext that flashes between flight footage and images from captivity - adding a human and empathic aspect to the mythological character of the heroic pilots.
The filming of the series took place two years ago, when the image of the pilots in Israeli society was still superheroes, and when the possibility of hijacking the prestigious brand "Air Force Pilots and using it to bend the elected echelon from making a political move by implicitly threatening to harm Israel's security" was just a delusional idea in Zoom briefings that Ehud Barak gave to protest leaders back then.
Still, in the spirit of recent months, it's hard not to see how the series meets the need to improve the image of those who, in the wake of anonymous petitions, have collapsed the value of the revered stock and turned the pilots synonymous with an arrogant, arrogant and detached elite.
The moments of human devastation provided in "The One" did not crack the heroic aura restored by the stories of battle and captivity, but the failure point of the series is the sense that the aura of supreme heroism, which the pilots rightly gained for their extraordinary daring and courage, came largely at the expense of the heroes on the ground.
It's hard not to see how the series meets the need to improve the image of those who, because of anonymous petitions, have collapsed the value of the revered stock, turning the pilots synonymous with an arrogant, arrogant and detached elite
The sense of alienation intensifies when the creators choose to end the series with a heart-wrenching monologue by Maj. Gen. (res.) Gil Regev, who tearfully explains that this is not the country for which he fought. To his grandson, who clichédly bears a foreign name, he advises against sacrificing one's life for the country as he did, because "my country," he says, quickly correcting, "our country has changed its face." Regev proves that between him and Kahalani the armorer there is a difference of – excuse the cliché – heaven and earth.
Like the former Supreme Court justices in the series "Flesh and Blood Judges," the air force pilots reflected in Regev's image are nothing but evidence of the decline of a dwindling elite, who are in the consciousness of "after the flood" and who muttered irritably: "They stole my country."
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