By SHIRA POLIAKNira Lee 521(photo credit: Dover.idf.il)
Nira Lee serves as a liaison between the army and humanitarian groups in the West Bank. She never imagined that she would be able to act as a mediator in the Middle East at such a young age, back when she was completing her bachelor’s degree in international relations at American University in 2009.Lee and her commander meet with UN officials and representatives from NGOs. They are planning an initiative to build more cisterns in Bethlehem, analyzing UN speeches and reports, and building stronger ties between the army and aid organizations.
Last week, Lee was promoted to corporal at her base’s annual parent’s day celebration. Her father, Barton Lee, flew to Israel to take part in the ceremony, and he proudly fastened Nira’s new insignia on her uniform.“I never thought I would get to have my dad here; I always thought I would do this alone,” she said, clasping her father’s hand while sitting in the base’s auditorium.For Barton Lee, visiting the base was a chance to better understand his daughter’s everyday experiences.“It’s the difference between black and white and technicolor...Old black and white films lack something; the experience is fuller when you see it,” he said.Nira Lee moved to Israel in May 2010 and soon enlisted.She knew she wanted to immigrate years earlier, after spending time volunteering in Acre. There she saw “the hard side of Israel that you don’t see on Taglit[- Birthright],” she recalled.“I fell in love with the country, the society, and the hard things made me feel that I could find my place here,” she said.Lee plans to enroll in an officer’s course. She knows that it will be psychologically and physically grueling, but says that she is pleased with her decision to serve in the army.“I make less than $250 a month, but I don’t think I could be more proud to defend Israel,” Lee said
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