In a conference on ways to promote the importance IDF service among youth, Education Minister Gideon Saar said Tuesday that serving in the IDF was not just an obligation, but a privilege. "Throughout many generations, our nation was powerless to defend itself, and as a result we experienced persecution and destruction. Today as well, the reality is that without a strong army, there would be no Jewish state.
"Serving in the IDF not just a contribution by recruits to the state – it is also the great equalizer of Israeli society," Saar said.