Reservists' play on army service wins international award

Two reservist soldiers serving in an elite unit on the Hermon wrote a play during the war about the Israeli army and have now won "Production of the Year" at the ASSITEJ international festival for children's and youth theatre.

The play, "From Point to Point", was written during the Iron Swords war and deals with divides in Israeli society, with brotherhood among soldiers, and with the ability to bridge disagreements and march forward together.

The international achievement gives a stage to a work addressing one of the central issues in Israeli society since the war began: the ability of people with different worldviews to act together, to find common ground, and to build trust even in a reality of disagreement.

"From Point to Point", which previously won the directing prize at the "Soliko B'Shnayim" 2025 festival, is an original Israeli production combining tension, humour, emotion and self-discovery. The play was written by Ben Zabludovsky and Shmulik Bahalul, both 31, professional actors and reservist soldiers serving together in the Alpine Unit on the Hermon.

At the center of the play stand Aviel, a religious-Zionist soldier, and Itai, a secular-liberal soldier, who are required to go out together on a navigation exercise.

The navigation quickly becomes a far more complex test: What begins as a confrontation between two soldiers representing different ends of Israeli society gradually becomes a journey of acquaintance, understanding and mutual discovery. The two learn to see each other beyond labels and preconceptions, and discover that precisely the difference between them may become a source of strength and help them face the challenges along the way.

The ASSITEJ organisation works to advance creation for children and young people, to strengthen professional ties among creators from around the world, and to recognise the right of children and youth to enjoy art and culture. The prizes awarded annually by the ASSITEJ festival are considered the standard for quality in the field of children's and youth theatre.

The play was performed this year before thousands of teenagers as part of a culture basket programme through the Israeli Hour Theatre, and is planned to be performed next year as well before thousands of pupils in schools and educational institutions.