Within the upcoming months, it’s going to be difficult for seniors to begin making life-long decisions for their future – some are traveling across the nation to an out-of-state college and others are choosing to pursue jobs early on.

Senior Mimi Ginzburg’s future is going to begin a little differently than the rest of the students within the Redwood community. Enrolled in a program that will allow Ginzburg to join the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Ginzburg will be serving in the army for her home country, Israel.

“I don’t see myself as very ‘military’, but I think that the military is different there than it is here, because everyone has to do it. It’s a very eclectic, with different types of people, it’s not a certain type of person,” Ginzburg said.

The program, Garin Tzabar, is based throughout the nation in other states as well such as New York and Florida, bringing together individuals from ages about 18 to 21 to serve in Israel for two years. These defense service members, involved in the IDF, will train together before leaving for Israel, and will come home together during break periods.

According to Ginzburg, every member has the choice of being placed into positions other than combat, such as education and social work, and she hopes to pursue service along those lines more than serving in combat.

 “Why should I be sitting here having a fun time at college while everyone [in Israel] is fighting for a country that I was born in and that I love?” Ginzburg said.

When a person turns 18 in Israel, they have to be drafted into the army, women for two years and men for three, according to Ginzburg. However, if one moves to a different country before they are 14, or if they have lived in a separate country for a long period of time, then the draft is not mandatory.

In Ginzburg’s case, she has lived outside of Israel for about 17 years and also maintains dual citizenship, therefore she is protected from being drafted for IDF services.

“For me it’s a choice, I don’t have to, but all my family over there did it because it’s mandatory. It’s been a good experience for everyone so they’re really proud that they’ve done it,” Ginzburg said.

Ginzburg moved the United States only a year after she was born in Israel, and has been visiting the country every year to visit her extended Israeli family on both her mom’s and dad’s side. As her dad is originally from Israel as well, Ginzburg said her father would joke about her going into the army at a young age.

 “My mom lived there for a long period of her life, even though she’s from here, so that was kind of a little bit of a factor,” Ginzburg said. “Having been born there I feel like, I grew up here, and now I kind of want to give back to my country in a way, it’s something that all my family has done on my dad’s side.”

With her immediate family in mind, Ginzburg also reflected on her annual trips to Israel.

 “The other [side of it] is a few years ago, going into my sophomore year, I went on a trip to Poland, then to Israel, to visit death camps [in Poland] and stuff, and after that trip it felt like it was such a kind of… it just hit hard just seeing all those death camps and such.”

Ginzburg was inspired by her family who have been serving in Israel for many generations now, dating back to over 100 years ago.

“My great grandma was from Poland and, when she was about 16, right before World War II broke out, she left her family and decided to move to Israel to try to help built this country,” Ginzburg said. “Because it started to get bad around Europe for the Jews and Russia and Poland, she left her family and never saw them again because they all died in the war.”

As much as Ginzburg’s other family members have dedicated time to the defense services in Israel, she claims that her great-grandmother mainly influenced her decision.

“She helped fight to start Israel, so it’s amazing because she had no family and now she has a really big family there, so I want to continue her vision,” Ginzburg said.

Though her family’s history was an important factor, her final decision to join the IDF was not easy, as she went back and forth between the idea of college versus the Israel Defense Forces.

 “I applied to school and I got accepted, so that was difficult because I spent so much time going through the application process and testing and visiting schools and how can I just throw that away?” Ginzburg said.

Her family also supported the idea, but felt that it was ultimately up to her to make the choice to follow through with the IDF.

Although Ginzburg is very familiar with Israel, she admits that the move will be difficult in the beginning, but will benefit her future in more ways than one.

“I go there every year, but even though I go there a lot I know I’m not going to feel 100 percent at home because even though I was born there and have family there, it’s still going to be a culture shock no matter what because I am going to a new country,” Ginzburg said.

Ginzburg is planning on taking everything one step at a time, and believes that she will be going to college, either in the U.S. or in Israel, after her two year service.

“When you’re around your friends who are going to college, I just want to go to college because it’s going to be so fun, but I think it’s going to be an experience that’s really worth it and something that’s really trying and telling, and I think I’ll get a lot out of it,” Ginzburg said. “I will be an outsider in some ways I guess, but it’s going to be an adventure, which is why I chose it.”