Though the excitement in the Holy Land is palpable when the Biblical promise that rain will fall in its season is fulfilled, for Israel’s brave soldiers, winter weather brings with it a host of additional challenges, not the least of which is having clean uniforms and undergarments.
“Though the Israeli army does its best to give soldiers what we need to succeed in our service, clean clothing is a constant challenge,” expressed Sergeant Yonaton Cytrin, to Breaking Israel News. “Having laundry facilities on bases would be AWESOME!”
There are three ways soldiers get clean laundry. The first is doing their own laundry by hand. The second is that their families do their laundry for them when they are able to visit home, usually once in three weeks. The third is laundry services provided once a week to soldiers on bases. It takes one week to receive back what has been sent, often causing a clothing shortage.
“The outsourced laundry service is helpful,” continued Cytrin. “However, the week wait for our stuff to come back leaves a shortage and things often get lost.”
Recognizing the challenges soldiers have to maintain clean clothing along with the important factors that clean uniforms and undergarments affect health, comfort and morale, Yahad-United for Israel’s Soldiers has launched a new fundraising campaign to place free laundromats on IDF bases.
“This is a half a million shekel campaign (about $135,000),” shared Brigadier General Yehiel Gozal, CEO of Yahad-United for Israel’s Soldiers, with Breaking Israel News. “Not only will bases receive washing machines and dryers, all supplies and maintenance will be provided for free. These laundromats will directly help the welfare of soldiers, which is what Yahad is all about.”
As a soldier in Israel’s tank unit who is training to be an officer, Cytron explained the importance of this campaign to Breaking Israel News. “People might erroneously think that giving a protective vest is more important than supporting the laundromat campaign,” he said. “Of course, vests are important. However, they help only one soldier. A washing machine and dryer helps 50-100 IDF soldiers on base over many years of service and will save soldiers, their families and even the army time and money.”
Cytron pointed out that sending out laundry to be washed is more costly than individuals doing laundry. In addition, with round 6,000 lone soldiers in the IDF (soldiers without family living in Israel), these soldiers are left to their own devices to get clean clothing. “My unit goes home once every three weeks for a Shabbat,” said Cytron. “It’s a time to rest and enjoy our friends and families. Lone soldiers end up spending this precious time doing their laundry instead of getting reenergized by Shabbat.”
Cytron shared with Breaking Israel News that soldiers in the tank unit remain in the field for most of their service, as opposed to being on bases. By the time the soldiers emerge from the tanks, they are filthy. Additionally, soldiers in tanks must wear a specific and expensive uniform. They receive only one of these unique suits and it gets very grungy.
“We usually wash this special suit by hand,” Cytron said. “Soldiers prefer to wash it by hand because they are afraid it will get lost at the laundry service and we can’t wait a week to get it back. We also only have a few pairs of socks and underthings. So, those are often washed by hand as well.”
With the laundry machines on base, soldiers can throw in a wash and have clean uniforms and undergarments in an hour or two. “This is an amazing asset,” smiled Cytron.
“IDF soldiers are faced with ongoing and intense emergency routines which do not allow them to return home to do laundry,” said Gozal to Breaking Israel News. “Special field training during the winter months can make soldiers particularly wet, dirty and muddy. Having laundry facilities on bases will be a huge help to our brave Israeli soldiers.”
