Israeli reserve soldiers are making unimaginable sacrifices to protect their country.
To rise to the challenge of meeting the IDF’s expanded personnel needs, Israel’s policy solutions must be as diverse as the reservists serving the nation. A “one-size-fits-all” compensation approach will not cut it.
When Israelis finish their compulsory service within the IDF, many become part of the state’s reserve forces until age 40. However, this deep-seated social contract may be currently facing significant changes given Israel’s security situation.
On February 8, 2024, an amended draft of the Reserve Service Bill that would extend the period of reserve service in general – and particularly during wartime – was posted for public comment. This amendment would triple the number of reserve days and raise the age of exemption from reserve duty of military personnel from 40 to 46, and for officers to 50.
The activation of the reserves following October 7 was all-encompassing with 287,000 men and women being called up. As of this writing, they have each served an average of 61 days in uniform. This is reflected both in the large number of reservists – of whom a higher-than-usual 14% were women – and in the relatively large number of casualties they have suffered.
Those who bear the burden of reserve duty left behind their families, their studies, and their careers. They took up arms fully aware that they might have to pay a heavy economic, domestic, and professional price – and in some cases even pay with their lives. Reservists represent a diverse mosaic of Israeli society. They come from the center of the country as well as the periphery and represent diverse occupational, sectoral, and socioeconomic profiles. With this demographic diversity also comes a diversity of needs.
Now, just over four months into the war, reservists are gradually being decommissioned and the issues of their livelihood, studies, and families are coming to the fore and demanding solutions.
Reservists' challenges
Reservists who have returned to their jobs have begun receiving pink slips summoning them to discharge hearings. Many spouses who were left at home to take care of the children, finances, and household needs (according to the IDF Personnel Directorate, 112,000 reservists have spouses and children) have been put on unpaid leave, fired, or had their hours reduced. Many reservists now find themselves moving from a war to protect the homeland to a war to protect their livelihoods and their homes.
As changes reflected in the Reserve Service Bill come under consideration, we cannot ignore the considerable weight this would add to the burden of military service, nor the deepening of inequality between the populations who serve and those who do not, such as the ultra-Orthodox. To help mitigate this burden, the bill proposes an increase to the minimum daily compensation of reservists, set at NIS 310 (the equivalent of just over $80 dollars per day). It also notes “additional benefits and entitlements for reserve officers [as] determined in recent months by government decisions.”
WHILE SUCH benefits are being presented as a comprehensive measure in response to the needs of reservists, they are not sufficiently sensitive or adaptive to the varying needs of service members across a variety of employment situations (salaried employee, self-employed, student), population sectors, or socioeconomic statuses. Additional measures are needed to bridge the gap, including additional compensation and benefits.
In cases of students who have to work to finance their academic pursuits, it is recommended to establish criteria to finance a certain level of housing and living costs to avoid situations in which they would be forced to decide between continuing their studies or getting a job.
To support salaried employees and their families, it is recommended to extend the period of protection against layoffs from 60 days to 90 days for reservists and from 30 days to 60 days for their spouses. In cases of layoffs, for the period extending from their date of dismissal until they are recalled for duty, it is recommended to enshrine in law continuity of employment, so that they are entitled to benefits such as unemployment.
Policy solutions that offer differential responses for the diverse needs of reservists from various occupational, sectoral, and socioeconomic groups would provide a more targeted solution. It is essential that these issues be seriously considered as we work towards expanding reserve service and meeting the personnel needs of the IDF.
Above all, it is critical to appropriately compensate the men and women for the sacrifice they are making for their country, ensuring compensation increases alongside the days of service required, and that such compensation is adjusted, as much as possible, to suit the needs of different populations.
The writer is a researcher in the Military and Society Program at the Israel Democracy Institute and a member of Dvorah Forum.