We can do a lot for you, we can make a difference in your immigration process but we can’t provide unrealistic solutions or perform magic.
Rachel was a hard case, not because the case was so difficult but because the “client” was very difficult. Rachel was so stubborn I had to ask her more than once to leave the office and come back when she could be more calm and sensible.
At the age of eighteen, Rachel left Israel. She knew she was not supposed to do it, Rachel knew she was scheduled to serve in the IDF in few weeks. She contacted me and asked me about the consequences. I told her it was a bad idea and she should try to discuss her situation with the IDF and see what happens.
Rachel left – claiming she had to go back to the US because her mother was sick and needed help. Her father (divorced from her mother) didn’t have any money to help and therefore Rachel would not only need to help her mother but also support herself.
Rachel was telling the truth – her mother was not only very sick, but also under a tremendous financial burden due to the fact she hadn’t worked for an extended period of time. Rachel’s mother needed help indeed.
It took Rachel two years until she contacted me again. Rachel was now thinking about coming back to Israel and leaving her mother with her sister. I advised Rachel to go to the Israeli Embassy and start to resolve her status, her “problem” with the IDF but Rachel “knew better”.
Rachel had “friends”. These friends told her she could come and contact the army here. As they told her “most probably they will let you go with a soft punishment”.
I went to visit Rachel in the military prison where she is being held for the last two months as a deserter – an extremely serious crime against the State.
We are a very humanitarian society in Israel and even our military is very understanding. However, as a former commander officer in the IDF I can state that most soldiers have “some special circumstances” and therefore the military legal system holds every case as unique in an attempt to find a balance between disciplinary measures against offenders and special needs such as Rachel’s.
We can’t win a case regarding desertion from the IDF without the soldier receiving some “punishment”, that is unrealistic.
A word of wisdom:
When seeking legal help and advice you must trust the person you are asking for advice, but never expect the impossible or even his pity. All you can and should expect is his understanding of the situation and hope he will try his best to assist you.
