Elinor Joseph آلينور جوزف אלינור ג'וזף | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991 (age 33–34) Jish,Israel |
| Allegiance |  Israel |
| Service | Combat Medic,Medical Corps |
| Years of service | April 2009 – |
| Unit | Caracal Battalion,Infantry Corps |
| External image | |
|---|---|
 Elinor Joseph in uniform—IDF Spokesperson |
Elinor Joseph (Arabic:آلينور جوزف,Hebrew:אלינור ג'וזף; born 1991 inJish,Israel) is anIsraeli-Arab soldier who has served with theCaracal Battalion of theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) since 2010. She became the firstArab woman ever toserve in a combat role in the Israeli military.[1]
Joseph was born into a Christian family from the Christian village ofJish (Gush Halav) in northern Israel. Her parents are Charbel and Warda Joseph and she has an older sister, Lauren.[2] Charbel served in the IsraeliParatroopers Brigade. The Joseph family relocated to the Arab neighborhood ofWadi Nisnas inHaifa when Elinor was young.[3]
When Elinor graduated high school, her father encouraged her to enlist in the IDF. Though initially opposed to the idea, she gradually cottoned to it and cultivated an ambition to serve as acombat medic. However, upon arriving at therecruitment base, she was informed that she had already been ordained to serve as an office clerk. Deeply disappointed, Elinor refused to be transported out to a new base, until finally, after several days, a meeting was arranged between her and a colonel from theNorthern Command. The colonel made Elinor a singular proposal: undergo regularbasic training and, on the condition of being selected as an outstanding trainee, go on to attempt the medic's training course.
Elinor agreed. She completed basic training, was the outstanding trainee of her platoon, and subsequently proceeded to the medic's training course. In an interview with Gadi Sukenik ofChannel 2, Elinor described the course as "one of the most... amazing experiences I ever had." At the completion ceremony, on account of her being an outstanding cadet, her commander awarded her her own medic's pin.[4]
After successfully completing the medic's training course, Elinor Joseph was stationed in amilitary police base near the Palestinian city ofQalqilyah. In an interview with Chen Kotas Bar ofMa'ariv she recounted how soldiers there would summon her whenever a problem arose with the local residents and there was need for an interpreter. She had some misgivings about serving at a border crossing, but in those moments she reminded herself of theKatyusha rockets that rained down on Haifa. "If someone would tell me that serving in the IDF means killing Arabs, I remind them that Arabs also kill Arabs," she told Rotem Caro Weizman of theIDF Spokesperson's Unit.[1][3]
In response to a transfer request Elinor made, in 2010 she was reassigned to the Caracal battalion, which operates in the westernNegev along Israel's border withEgypt. She thus became the first Arab woman ever to serve in the Israeli army in a combat role.[1]
Elinor Joseph described the reactions of her friends and neighbors as mixed. While she encountered no overt hostility, walking around her neighborhood in theIDF uniform drew cross looks from some passersby. Some of Elinor's friends terminated contact with her, while with others she developed a closer relationship.[4]
Arab-Israeli journalist Suleiman al-Shafi has rejected that Elinor Joseph is the first Arab woman to serve in a combat role in the IDF. In his view, it is more accurate to describe her as the first to have done so publicly.[2]
The difficult dilemma she felt in serving at a border crossing was not easy for her but she said during moments of difficulty and misgiving she would remember, 'there was a Katyusha [rocket] that fell near my house and also hurt Arabs. If someone would tell me that serving in the IDF means killing Arabs, I remind them that Arabs also kill Arabs.'
مع ذلك قالت وردة جوزف إن العائلة المؤلفة منها ومن زوجها شربل وابنتيهما لوريان وآلينور (22 و20 سنة)، فخورة بانخراط أحد أفرادها بالجيش الإسرائيلي.
היא נולדה בגוש חלב (ג'ש). משפחה ערבית-נוצרית. היום, כשהיא מציגה את עצמה, היא אומרת שהיא 'ערבייה, נוצרייה, ישראלית'. בסדר הזה. אבא שלה היה לוחם בצנחנים, שירת בקבע ואחר כך גם במילואים.
אבא שלי. הוא גם היה, כאילו, לוחם בצנחנים.
