Growing up, Staff Sergeant P. was not a dog person. "As a child, I was very scared of dogs," she told Israel Hayom. "My aunt, who was not religious, had a super sweet and friendly labrador, but every time I came to visit, she had to lock him out on the balcony, because I was so scared."
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P. grew up in an ultra-Orthodox family, and as she explained, "it is uncustomary in the Haredi community to have pets."
Fast forward to 2022, P. is serving in the IDF canine unit and is best friends with a Belgian shepherd named Bingo. However, not only has her relationship with dogs changed but so has her entire life. P. went from being ultra-Orthodox to becoming national religious and eventually secular.
Q: Some would say you are a rebel.
"A rebel? Perhaps. I like to challenge myself and believe in stepping out of one's comfort zone. That is how you learn. As a Haredi person, I knew that if I joined the IDF, I would be considered a lone soldier, despite the fact that I have family [in Israel], and I knew that if I left the ultra-Orthodox world, I would pay a price, but this was my decision."
Twenty-three-year-old P. is older than some of her fellow soldiers as she joined the IDF later than the conscription age. Born in Elad, she is the oldest of seven children – six girls and one boy. Her parents had become religious and joined the Chabad community.
"I grew up in a classic Haredi home. There was no TV, but there were photos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe," P. said, referring to Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Jewish Orthodox Hasidic Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty's most recent Rebbe and one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the 20th century.
"From a very young age, I began to ask questions that didn't fit the standard," P. continued. "Although I felt a connection to Chabad niggunim [melodies] and writings, I did not understand why certain things, like a school uniform or wearing tights, were forced on me. I hated it a lot.
"Every time I entered the classroom, the teacher would check if everything was in place. Such strictness was not easy for me. Every time they would check whether my prayer book was open on the right page. There was not one iota of freedom."
P.'s life changed dramatically in third grade when her parents got divorced. She and her siblings moved with their father to the ultra-Orthodox city of Beit Shemesh. P. went to school in a part of the city that is considered more stringent and isolated.
"I was very sociable at school, so it was not too bad for me there," she said. However, with time, P. became more interested in subjects that were unacceptable in her community. The breaking point came in ninth grade when P.'s history teacher described a historical event that occurred in 1948, the year the State of Israel was established, in "a very incorrect and tendentious manner" and "twisted the story and spoke in a derogatory manner about non-religious Israelis."
"I was in shock," P. said. Nevertheless, she refused to go into details as to what exactly was said during class, so as not to slander the teacher.
After the incident, P. informed her parents she was transferring to a school in Judea and Samaria. For P.'s ultra-Orthodox parents her decision to leave the Haredi world and move to a national religious community was nothing short of a bombshell.
"The truth is I didn't know exactly where this school was. But I wanted a more open place to study, and someone I know from synagogue said she was learning there. And so I told my parents I was moving. In hindsight, I came to the right place."
Although P.'s parents did not approve of her decision, eventually, they agreed.
"They didn't know so much what to say, but in the end, my father took me for an interview in the school, and it went really well."
It is at this school that P. formed her political opinions, and as many in the national religious community, found herself protesting the evacuations of settlements and outposts that had been deemed illegal. Some incidents even turned violent.
"I really believed in this way. Today I believe in it less. Living in that area was like living in a bubble. When I left, after three years of studies, I understood that there are other things too. I matured."
After finishing school, P. had to make another important decision: to rebel again and fulfill her lifelong dream of joining the IDF or opt for national service, a more traditional choice among national religious girls.
"I've always wanted to be a soldier, and already in school, I had arguments with other girls about whether to enlist or not. There, no one enlists, and there was nothing to talk about. There were quite a few people around me who opposed girls joining the IDF. Back then, I was worried that if enlisted, I could fall through the cracks. I was very hesitant, so I decided to opt for the national service."
Q: How does a girl who grew up in an ultra-Orthodox family even dream of enlisting in the IDF?
"I didn't grow up watching movies or was exposed to military action, but as a child, I saw soldiers wearing uniforms and carrying weapons, and I wanted to be like them. When I was in ninth grade, my neighbor in Beit Shemesh enlisted, she is also formerly Chabad. She would return home in uniform, and all of a sudden I understood, this was possible [also for me]. It was wonderful, I wanted to be like that."
P. began her two-year national service by working with immigrants from the former Soviet Union, who "knew not a single word in Hebrew." She helped the youngsters, among other things, prepare for their conscription.
"Although I did not plan to enlist then, I suddenly discovered the various options of serving in the military. It rekindled my desire to be a fighter.
"I explained to the young immigrants about the IDF, how much I supported their decision to enlist, and how much I believe that girls can and should also be fighters."
As for her own military service, P. decided to "just go for it" and made up her mind to join the IDF.
"That same evening, I went for a run, to see if I would qualify for the military fitness test. That was the evening I decided to enlist. During my national service, I signed up for training and began to work out more seriously. The workouts were really hard, and I would return with my bruised and bloody knees. The more I learned about fighting, the more I wanted it. I worked out with 17 and 18-year-olds, and I was the old one, a 20-year-old, but I fell in love with the training."
In November 2019, P. fulfilled her life-long dream and joined the IDF. She began in the Border Defense Force but insisted on joining the canine unit.
"One could say I got to the canine unit the same way I got to the school in Judea and Samaria. With providence and with a little risk," said P., explaining that several people had suggested the unit. "I had an inner desire to enlist, even though no one around me was in favor. It was just a part of me."
Q: And so you joined the canine unit, even though you were afraid of dogs.
"In the beginning, I was worried about this, but I joined the canine unit because it is a good place for girls to serve, a place with a challenge. In the beginning, I told the commanders that I was not used to dogs, and essentially, was scared of them."
After the initial shock, P. was assigned her first challenge: a terrifying Belgian shepherd named Bingo.
"He was huge," P. recalled. "Weighed 40 kilos [88 pounds], and I realized that he was more problematic, not always nice to people. Meaning, who did they assign a problematic dog? Specifically to the girl who had problems with dogs growing up. Today, I love Bingo more than anything in the world.
"I work with him, train him, give him medical treatments. Everything. Although he is still an aggressive and unsociable dog, I love him. I've been with him for two years. If anyone else works with him, he gets angry, but with me, he is nice.
"Once, Bingo and I had a crazy experience. We found a bag full of weapons, and I was shocked because it's not something you find every day. I realized that we had found something that could have hurt someone, and perhaps I saved Israeli lives and prevented a possible attack. It was an amazing feeling."
P. and Bingo's training is "very intense. Some weeks, we have activities every night. It's not an easy service, but it is amazing. During Operation Guardian of the Walls [in May 2021], our fighters located bodies and missing persons, incredible work all across the country."
Last week, P. and Bingo received another military assignment to locate a man suspected of being armed and planning an attack.
"Although the weather was terrible, the decision was made to go. Intelligence information said the man was planning to join a protest while carrying a weapon and there was a chance he would perpetrate an attack.
"We went on the mission with another member of the unit. The fighters who went with us said the walk would be difficult, and asked whether the dogs could do it. I smiled and said the dogs would be just fine, and we set out.
"The walk was insane, five kilometers [3 miles], including in the mountains. It rained non-stop, and at some point, even started hailing, which really hurt. We were literally drowned in the mud.
"We got to the refugee camp, a crowded, problematic, and complicated place. We were identified at one point and had to sprint out of there. We arrived at the home of the person we were looking for, an enormous house, to arrest him. By the time we left, it was morning.
"The moment I stepped out, someone threw a Molotov cocktail in my direction. A serious disturbance began. Everything they could find they threw at us: stones, washing machines. We opened fire, first rubber bullets, then regular. A very dramatic event. Fortunately, there were no casualties."
Q: How do soldiers from other elite units treat you and Bingo?
"Every time I join a force I explain to them about the dogs, what they can do and what they cannot. The truth is that sometimes, it's challenging, because each time it's a different force, and they don't always know how to deal with us in the most effective manner. I have to be very assertive and explain why I am there, and what my task is. It doesn't always work, but let's just say, in the end, there is always understanding and cooperation."
P. will be discharged from the military in four months, as will Bingo.
"He is very aggressive, and I'm the only one who gets along with him, and he is not that young anymore, 5 years old, so it was decided he would be discharged," she said. "I understand that it's a serious responsibility to take a dog like him, but that doesn't hold me back."
Q: How would you describe your connection to religion at this stage?
"I am definitely not against religion, and my own home will be religious. At the end of the day, I love the way I grew up, and I am glad that, bottom line, I have chosen my own path.
"I wear pants during the week, as I did during my national service, but that's not what defines me. I don't keep Shabbat at the moment, because it is harder for me, but I did observe it throughout my training. I do keep kosher. Of course, in my own home, there will be a Shabbat table and other Jewish elements."
Q: Do you regret any of the decisions you've made along the way?
"Not at all. I challenge myself in life, and I think this makes me a stronger and better person. I would have regretted had I not switched schools and joined the military. It didn't require me to pay a price I was not ready to pay. The opposite, I knew that if I continued on that path until the age of 60, then I would have regretted it."
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Q: Do you keep in touch with your former schoolmates?
"I have very good friends from school, but it's hard to keep in touch when someone is married with two kids and I'm in the IDF. I speak with them, but they are in a very different place compared to me."
Q: And what about your parents?
"A few months ago, I spoke with my mom. I'm less in touch with my dad. I would like to be more in touch with my family. It is very important for me that when I have children they should have a grandma and a grandpa. We are not in touch now, and I don't know what will happen in the near future, but I don't want to live my entire life disconnected from them."
Q: Did they distance themselves because you enlisted?
"I don't think there's a connection. Maybe a little. We lost touch because of family reasons, things that happened before the military. The path that I chose doesn't always fit for my parents."
Q: What are your plans for after the military?
"I am looking for stability, a routine: a dog, responsibilities, life. I want to go with Bingo on hikes, maybe work in security. I am also thinking of getting a dental degree. True, I like to take risks, but chances are, I will have a normal life, and sometimes, even mundane."
