Australian Looking to join IDF

[sam1022]

Hey guys,

Before I jump into my questions I'll provide a little background on myself. My surname is Cohen and I live in Queensland Australia and have just turned 18. I have a Jewish father and grandparents, however my mother is Catholic. I was Brit in the Jewish tradition just after birth but was baptized a christian not long after and raised a catholic. As such I never had a Bar Mitzvah. Despite this, I have always identified more strongly with my Jewish heritage and have often thought of having a Bar Mitzvah.

Anyway, Ill begin with my questions now. Bearing in mind my heritage and christian up bringing am I eligible for the Mahal program?

Secondly, I have Deuteronopia which is a type of red green colour blindness, will this exclude me from infantry service, and the Palsar within the infantry brigades? I assume I am excluded from the Big 3.

Would I be able to make Aliyah and serve a full 3 years? Could I serve in the Parachute Brigade if I do/dont?

Would I have access to greater assistance if I made Aliyah?

I currently dont speak a bit of hebrew, but I have purchased Rosetta Stone. Will this give me a decent enough grounding to participate in the Army Ulpan?

Cheers for any help that can be given.

Regards,

Sam.

[Dan from Boston]

Hi Sam,

Welcome to the forum!

Since your father is Jewish, you are eligible for the program. You are also eligible to make aliyah under the Law of Return. Had you been born Jewish and converted to Christianity, that may have been another matter.

Making aliyah makes it much easier to get into the unit you want. It also does indeed allow for much greater assistance. There is financial assistance you can receive as an oleh chadash, for example. You can find a wealth of information online regarding what those specific benefits are. Here is one such site:
http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Aliyah/Aliyah+Info/Aliyah+Information/

As for Hebrew, you do not need any in order to be sent to the ulpan -- it's there to teach you Hebrew. However, the more Hebrew you know before coming to Israel, the better.

Regarding your color blindness, I unfortunately cannot help you with that question.

Good luck!

[sam1022]

Thanks so much for your advice, the link was very informative. Im sorry if this is a foolish question, but if I make aliyah I am unable to do Mahal and instead undertake national service like every Israeli, correct? Also, being from another country and being the child of a Jew and not Jewish myself would I have difficulty acquiring clearances for certain units?

Thanks,

Sam.

[Dan from Boston]

You're welcome, Sam.

To answer your questions:

1. If you make Aliyah, yes, you are ineligible for the Mahal program. You will join the military as an Israeli, with the minimum length of service determined by the age at which you immigrated to Israel, not at which you start your service.

2. I don't believe there is any restriction on non-Jews when it comes to eligibility for special units. There may be restrictions if you maintain dual-citizenship, however.