Infiltration

YOUNG ISRAELI ARMY conscripts with minor disabilities, such as heart murmurs and epilepsy, are sent to Training Base 4 for basic training. Some come from large cities, some from kibbutzim; some were born in Israel, some are new immigrants from Eastern Europe or Arab countries.Infiltrationtells the story of one platoon's experience, a group of soldiers who represent all Israelis during the early years of their nation. Melabbes is determined to stay separate, self-contained from the rigid routines and power plays of military life. From his detached stance we observe the other members of the platoon: Avner, a reckless romantic whose mother worked for the families of the wealthier, Ashkenazi recruits known as "the Jerusalemites"; Alon, the proud and patriotic kibutznik; Miller, a German epileptic and survivor of the concentration camps; and Micky, a famous soccer player who only recently discovered he has a heart murmur. The platoon's sadistic drill sergeant has found in the army a way to transform himself from a student ridiculed and ostracized into someone who can literally make or break lives. Infiltrationtakes place sometime in the 1950s, but it is a universal story of loss of innocence, exposing the darker side of the military process of "making men out of boys."Kenaz, Yehoshua is the author of 'Infiltration', published 2003 under ISBN 9781581952056 and ISBN 1581952058.