On Monday, November 6, Adam Harmon spoke at UC-Irvine about his experiences with the Israeli Defense Forces. Harmon, an American citizen who served for the IDF, has written about his time with the IDF in his book “The Lonely Soldier.”

Anteaters for Israel co-sponsored the event with the College Republicans and Young Democrats in order to promote awareness and coalition-building on the UC-Irvine campus.

Originally from New England, Harmon had the opportunity to visit Israel as a teenager back in 1984 and decided he wanted to live there somebody. He joined the Israeli military in 1990 and became known as a “chayal boded� or “lonely soldier,� the official term for a soldier who has no immediate family in Israel.

“On the one hand, I’m an American… but there is something about my connection to [Israel],â€? said Harmon. “Like every other Israeli I had to serve in the army, I knew that I wanted to.”
Harmon became a paratrooper and learned much about the Israeli military culture and general way of life.

“I’m not a person that does well with authority figures,� he said, explaining that he nevertheless did well in the military: “Israeli commanders didn’t scream in my face.�

Harmon answered questions from the audience and explained that his decision to join the IDF was made carefully. The support of his family had a lot to do with his decision, because they supported him from the very beginning.
“My motivation was really insular,� said Harmon, “I went there for me.�

Brock Hill, a fourth-year political science major and president of the College Republicans at UCI, was pleased with the event.
“It was really informative,� said Hill. “Personally, I found this event right up my alley. I’ve always been interested in the IDF because this military is focused on urban warfare. The United States has a lot to learn from their military.�

Emily Shaaya, a second-year social ecology major and co-president of AFI, said she was pleased to co-sponsor the event with the College Republicans and the Young Democrats. “It was a really interesting event,� she said. “It was a great way for AFI to work with other clubs at UCI and to educate the fellow students and community members about Israel.�

From Left to Right: Reut Cohen, Brock Hill, Adam Harmon, Karin Kahen, Emily Shaaya