world
Combat training officer
Lt. Mikey Soclof
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Life Lessons
Cara Dorris
Jerusalem Post
M
odern Orthodox combat train-
ing officer Lt. Mikey Soclof
slumped against the bus seat
one Friday afternoon, relishing his first
free moment in weeks, as he tried to call
two of his friends before Shabbat.
"Obviously practicing religion as a
soldier is difficult. My free time often
comes in contact with what I'm doing in
the army," Soclof said in a recent inter-
view.
Twenty-two-year-old Soclof — who
made aliyah from Ann Arbor — had just
finished training a group of new immi-
grants in a two-week crash course.
As a combat training officer, Soclof
recruits soldiers, leads them through
boot camp and then assigns them
as drivers, gunners or loaders in the
Armored Corps. He is responsible for 36
soldiers, three tank commanders and a
sergeant.
Being an elite officer has always
demanded more than the standard
amount of work. Officers are known
to work long hours, organize activities
and sit through late meetings. They are
the first to wake up and the last to go
to sleep. It is even harder when you are
religiously observant.
"Israel is less religious than it is secu-
lar. The first time you see that is in the
army. All of a sudden, instead of your
whole community practicing kosher, it's
maybe three or four guys. Usually you
can't even get the 10 people you need for
a regular prayer service," Soclof said.
Like many Orthodox soldiers, Soclof
strives to reconcile religion with the rig-
ors of protecting the nation.
"If someone needs to go to the hospi-
tal, it is OK to drive on Shabbat. In the
army, it's the same thing. Turning on my
tank — something that is forbidden on
Saturday — is OK to me because it's for
the purpose of defending my country,"
Soclof said.
"I've come to the conclusion that
people's lives are more important than
always keeping Shabbat."
Coming from a tiny Jewish commu-
nity, Soclof is used to adapting when it
comes to Judaism. As a child, his family
would drive miles to the nearest kosher
supermarket. He commuted 45 minutes
every weekday to attend Frankel Jewish
Academy in West Bloomfield.
Still, the army does what it can to sup-
port religious soldiers, giving them time
to pray in the morning and afternoon,
and making sure every kitchen is kosher
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and inspected by a rabbi in uniform.
Even so, it isn't always easy.
"When it's four in the morning and
you're crawling in the mud and freezing
rain with a lot of weight on your back,
you're not going to think about how
great it is you're defending your country.
Because you're a person. You might start
to give up:' he said.
That is why Soclof teaches his combat
soldiers the most important thing is
strong connections with fellow soldiers.
"They will bring you back up and
make sure you keep going. Not everyone
is broken at the same time."
The combat training officer says he
has learned discipline and time manage-
ment and, thanks to his service, he is
the fittest he's ever been in his life.
"I knew coming out of high school
that if I wanted to influence something,
I had to be active. I didn't feel comfort-
able speaking about Israel in the States
before actually joining the army. After
all, I could have protested what Israel
is doing; I could have studied political
science; I even could have become an
ambassador to America: Soclof said.
"But I'm a Jewish person, and I
believed I needed to join the army to
keep Israel safe."
❑
Wine Tasting Tour
At Aish HaTorah
An array of award-winning wines from
Israel will be served at Aish HaTorah
in Oak Park on Monday, Aug. 12, from
7-9 p.m.
Special guests at the "Wine Tasting
Tour" will be Dorit Ben-Simon from
the Carmel Winery and Simon Levin
from Royal Wine Corp. The evening
includes light refreshments along with
a complimentary wine gift. The event
co-chairs are Neil Schloss and Sandy
Rosen.
Cost is $100 per couple to benefit the
Aish HaTorah High Holiday scholarship
fund. Also, 10 percent of wine purchas-
es at the event will benefit Aish.
To RSVP, call (248) 327-3579 or
email simchat@aish.com .
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August 1 • 2013
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