teudat lochem

[42go]

Does anyone know if machalniks can get a teudat lochem? Normally lochemim only get them after 20 months of service, but I've heard of people serving less time and still getting them.

[42go]

In addition, do Machalniks receive a "release with honor" certificate?: http://www.aka.idf.il/miluim/templates/ ... atId=58699

[Dan from Boston]

Yes and yes. The teudat lochem you get at Bakuum if you want it early (it won't be easy, and the office where you get it is kind of hidden). The certificate you can get at the kzin ha'ir in any city.

The certificate is by far the more important of the two, I think. The teudat lochem is fun to have for the month or so you can use it, but you will need the certificate (along with the passport with the A2 visa in it) when you go back to your bank 5 years after your service to get your money.

[42go]

Thanks, Dan! Can you give me any more tips on the teudat lochem? What is the name of the office? Are you saying I should just go to Bakum, find the office and request it?

[42go]

by the way, what money are you talking about?

[Dan from Boston]

About the teudat lochem, I really can't remember -- sorry. You'll have to ask around, and for a while. You don't have to find this office in order to get the card, just if you want it faster. Otherwise, you might end up receiving it after your choger is no longer valid anyway, and then you don't have the week or two of riding around on buses for free out of uniform. But I didn't and I survived.

As for the money -- you get two bonuses upon leaving the army. One is a cash bonus payable upon honorable discharged based on time in service and type of service. Combat gets the most, combat support second, and whatever is furthest from combat gets the smallest amount. I think it was on the order of a couple thousand shekels back in 2005 when I got it based on my 14.5 months in service in a combat unit.

The second bonus is a larger sum that is set aside for you upon discharge, but not paid out directly. You can either wait five years and receive it in cash, or you can withdraw parts of it for one or a combination of three purposes:
1. Education in Israel
2. Opening a business in Israel
3. Getting married in Israel

Since I left Israel after finishing my service, I couldn't use it for any of those purposes. Well, the distant future eventually rolled around and I was in Israel for an army buddy's wedding at the end of the 5 years. I went to the bank branch where I had had an account during my time in Israel with my passport (which had the original A2 visa in it with my mispar zehut) and the certificate of honorable discharge (the one you get from kzin ha'ir). It will still take some wrangling as it is Israel, but you should get it eventually. You may need to point out that although you don't have an actual teudat zehut as an Israeli citizen does, you have a mispar zehut on an official document. You will also need to point out that the mispar zehut written on your A2 visa is in your passport, a document recognized by Israel, and matches the one on the certificate of honorable discharge. The remaining sum is then deposited in your bank account. If you closed your account when you left the country, they will open one for you and can wire the cash to a foreign account if you like.

But I guess that's all pretty far away for you. Hope this helps.

[42go]

thanks, Dan! I am potentially doing kitzur sherut of 2 months--making my total service time 16 months (including 3 months of ulpan). Do you think this would have a serious negative impact on any details of my release--the honorable discharge, the discharge money, etc.? The army people I ask don't seem to know.

[42go]

By the way: when you say 14.5 months as a combat soldier is that including your time at Michve Alon before you actually joined your unit? Does the 3 month Hebrew course also count as part of my combat service since I received approval before the course to join the army as a Machalist and do combat service in Nachal? I'm confused about what "tor lochem" means; on one hand that should include the Hebrew course because it was part of my service to become a lochem; I was never going to be anything else--on the other hand it was before I joined an actual combat unit, so I'm not sure. Thanks your help!

[Dan from Boston]

I'm not really sure of all the specifics -- I'm guessing the ulpan doesn't count as combat service, but I'm not sure. I do know that if you serve less time, this will have an impact on the amount you get after the 5 years. As for getting an honorable discharge, I should think you will still get one if the IDF approved your shortened service.

In general, you can ask your Mashakit about these things -- just make sure that if it seems she doesn't really know (she probably won't know herself) that she asks the appropriate person.

[42go]

Did you get a gold release certificate for lochemim?

[Dan from Boston]

I just got a computer print-out that says what I did in the army.

[42go]

A related question: did you become a samal before you finished? If so when?

[Dan from Boston]

No, that takes a little longer than 15 months...

[Alex]

Dan, can you recall approximately how much money you received five years after your service was over?

[Dan from Boston]

I think it was about 10,000NIS