Typically, senior year in high school is when many teens begin seriously thinking about their future. Most are deciding where they want to continue their education, and then nervously wait to hear if they have been accepted to their desired college. 
Danielle Serota and Talia Wolkowitz, both of whom graduated from Parkway Central High School in May, made a much more daring decision. These 18-year-old girls from St. Louis decided to make aliyah (immigration to Israel) and join the Israeli Defense Forces, as is required of all female Israeli citizens who are under the age of 21.
“I decided to make aliyah because that was the best chance to have a worthwhile and impactful army service,” Wolkowitz said. “After studying in Israel for a semester of high school through NFTY-EIE (North American Federation of Temple Youth- Eisendrath International Experience), I completely fell in love with Israel and my beliefs were parallel to modern day Zionism. I felt an utter duty to join the IDF and give my time and effort to the country that I believe is just as much mine as it is for Israelis.”
Serota had a similar experience, having lived in Israel for several months prior to making aliyah. She says this time cemented her decision to give back to the nation that had given her so much. 
“I developed a very strong responsibility to this country, and began to feel the same obligation to serve in the IDF as any Israeli of my age,” Serota said.
Serota reflects that much of this obligatory feeling stemmed from following the events of the summer of 2014 on the news. Responding to incessant rocket fire from Gaza and into Israeli settlements, the IDF sent soldiers into Gaza in order to stop the terrorism. Operation Protective Edge resulted in many Israeli and Palestinian deaths. 
“(That) summer should serve as a reminder to all of us that the State of Israel as we know it is not, by any means, a given,” Serota said. “It is a blessing that we must protect and cherish.”
As motivated and excited these girls were, moving 6,000 miles away from home is not easy. 
“The day I made aliyah this summer was the most terrifying and exciting day of my life,” said Wolkowitz. “But sometimes you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone to impact change in this world.”
Wolkowitz and Serota were not alone in this process. They made aliyah this summer through a program called Garin Tzabar. 
“The program is designed to provide lone soldiers with a support system, a new family of sorts,” Serota said. “When I get a weekend off from base, I will come home to a dozen of my best friends who are going through the same thing as me.”
The Garin Tzabar program begins with a pre-ulpan (study of Hebrew) class for new immigrants who need to become more fluent in Hebrew. The second stage, commonly referred to as the absorption period, also consists of an ulpan along with group activities and workouts, designed to prepare the soon-to-be lone soldiers for army service. During this time, these new immigrants are living on a kibbutz, a community where people live and work together without competition, where they help with the daily chores. The third stage will be the army service itself.
“This week (Sept. 6-12) we had our Tzav Rishon,” said Serota. 
Tzav Rishon is the first of many mandatory visits to Lishkat Hagiyus, the IDF’s recruiting bureau. “We underwent various Hebrew, intelligence, personality, and physical exams that help the army determine which unit each of us will draft to,” said Serota. “We will all be drafting around late November – mid December.”
Rather than going straight to the army, Garin Tzabar gives new immigrants a chance to adjust to their new home, a feat that is not always so easy. 
“I moved halfway across the world to a land, culture, and language to which I was a stranger,” Wolkowitz said. “But after I adjusted, I became extremely happy and even more motivated to start my service and give myself to something I believe in, something bigger.”
Wolkowitz and Serota, just like all Israeli girls, will serve in the army for approximately two years, unless they choose to sign for longer. Both are equally excited and nervous for what is in store over the next 24 months. 
“It is crazy to think about the immense responsibility put on the shoulders of 18 year olds in the army,” Serota said. “And I know that this will cause me to grow up very fast.”
Making aliyah was certainly a life changing decision for Serota and Wolkowitz.  Both girls are very content with their choice. 
“Every day I wake up here happy with my decision,” Serota said. “I am living my dream.”