"Preparation for Victory", Episode 2: The youth who choose to stand up and fight for their future
They were called a spoiled generation of screens and TikTok, but since October 7, the true character of Israeli youth has been revealed—a generation seeking to enlist and take responsibility. In the second episode of the "Preparation for Victory" series, Oded Harush follows the story of Ilai Habib, who found a second chance at the "Ehad Mi-Shelanu" ("One of Us") preparatory program.
They said about them that they are a spoiled generation, a generation of screens and TikTok, and that it is no longer the generation of the past. But since October 7, the true character of Israeli youth has been revealed again – a generation that seeks to enlist, contribute, and take responsibility. In the second episode of the "Preparation for Victory" series, Oded Harush continues his journey at the "Ehad Mi-Shelanu" ("One of Us") preparatory program, the place where teenagers who did not always receive the easiest cards in life get a second chance.
The episode focuses on the story of Ilai Habib, who has dealt since childhood with anger outbursts, fights, and obesity. In the last psychodrama session of the program, he returns to the difficult moments of his life and reveals how he repeatedly lost control of himself.
"I was a child with very many nerve problems," he said. According to him, the outbursts did not end with words: "I fought a lot. Every day of my life was a fight. There wasn't a day that went by without me fighting." Ilai described moments when anger took over him completely: "In one moment I would have a blackout. I wouldn't see myself, wouldn't see anyone else. A black screen in front of my eyes."
Alongside the personal struggle, Ilai has held a clear dream from a young age – to serve as a combat soldier. He explained that beyond the desire to protect the country, it is important for him to make his mother proud of him: "I want that pride of a mother, that you come home to her with a weapon and uniform." When Oded asked if he wants his mother to be proud of him, Ilai replied: "Yes. After everything she went through, she deserves it."
Ilai said that it was precisely the look in his mother's eyes that was the hardest punishment for him. "How many times did I see my mother go to the room and lock herself in so I wouldn't see her and break down," he said. "She never took my phone, she never raised her voice at me, she didn't do anything to me – but the reaction in her eyes was enough. For me, that was called a punishment."
According to him, the turning point came after his mother fell ill. Ilai said that at that time he connected the sorrow caused to her with her condition, and decided to change his path: "I said to myself enough, and I also swore that if my mother gets out of this, I will never make her cry again. I swore at that moment. And thank God, my life has changed from one end to the other."
From the path he has taken, Ilai seeks to convey a message to teenagers dealing with violence and a sense of hopelessness. According to him, change can start with one person who refuses to give up on them: "They need someone to believe in them like they believed in me. It's enough for one person to believe in them and talk to their heart, not from above, and explain to them what the consequences cause."
He also addressed teenagers who get dragged into fights and violence and called on them to stop before it's too late: "To stab, to hit a person – how much time does it take? Five minutes, ten minutes, to finish this event and that's it." According to him, instead of internal wars, one should choose love and respect for the family: "Give a little love. Free love will solve everything in the Land of Israel. We already have enough soldiers who are dying now in Gaza, in Lebanon, guarding the borders. You are just bothering them with unnecessary wars in the country."
Later in the episode, Oded Harush talks with Israel Efrati, the director of the preparatory program, about the state of the youth in Israel and the tools that the preparatory year gives the trainees. Efrati suggests turning the last school year in the education system into a pre-military preparatory year: "I think that the 12th grade in the education system should be turned into a pre-military preparatory year. The skills that the trainees acquire here are life skills that Israeli society must have."
When asked if he is optimistic about the Israeli youth, Efrati did not hesitate: "I am very optimistic, very optimistic. They fill me with strength every day anew."
Towards the end of the year, the trainees participate in a project in which they paint the symbol of the program and leave their personal mark on the place. Ilai summarizes the process he went through with a sentence that accompanies him even in fitness training: "Only when you reach failure, the muscle grows."
He concludes the episode with a message to anyone who wants to make a change in their life: to do it for themselves and not to win the approval of others. "If you really want to make this change – go ahead, I give you my success, my blessing," he said. "But if it's for others, so they think you are cool – don't do it. Enjoy life and don't let anyone bring you down."
