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Cultural Revival

"Look at Them, and See Us": How a 28-Year-Old IDF Drama Became Accidentally Relevant Again

As Israel faces complex military operations on its northern border, a legendary late-90s television series about Givati Brigade recruits And Staff making A comeback, and reflecting a society still wrestling with conscription, family tension, and war.

Tironut TV Series Logo Illustration

The Israeli television Channel 24, operated by Keshet Broadcasting (which also runs Channel 12 and the prominent news portal MAKO), has recently begun rebroadcasting "Tironut" (Recruit Training), a military-social TV drama series.

Created in 1998 by the brothers Benny and Uri Barbash, the critically acclaimed original Israeli series follows young recruits in a combat company of the IDF's Givati Brigade. It explores the deeply personal lives of fictional young soldiers and the training staff preparing them for combat, set just before they enter complex, highly dangerous military operations in hostile Lebanese territory, an entanglement depicted in the first and final episodes of the series.

Aki Avni
Aki Avni (Photo: Srugim Website)

Shattering Career Launchpad

"Tironut", which originally ran for three seasons until 2000, served as a massive career springboard for Israeli and international actor Aki Avni, alongside launching the careers of numerous young actors and entertainers who filled its ranks.

Beyond military drills, "Tironut" heavily focused on the tense relationships between parents and their children, set against the backdrop of the intense public protests in Israel demanding a withdrawal from Lebanon. This withdrawal ultimately took place in May 2000, during the broadcast of the show's third and final season.

Domestic violence, for illustration
Domestic violence, for illustration (Photo: Kamil Zajaczkowski/shutterstock)

Tragic Family Drama

In one of the show's most dramatic subplots, a young soldier named Gidi returns home on leave with his military-issued weapon and shoots his father to death while trying to protect his mother from severe physical and emotional abuse. To protect her son from a trial and potentially a long prison sentence, Gidi's mother takes the blame for the shooting.

Israeli actor Yiftach Klein, who played Gidi, revealed in interviews that although many years have passed since the series ended, fans still remember that specific emotional scene, and many have personally told him how much it moved them. Klein added that it also made them realize the serious consequences of unreported domestic violence.

Chabad soldier enlisting in brand new Haredi brigade
Chabad soldier enlisting in brand new Haredi brigade (Photo: IDF)

Mirroring Modern Debates

The rebroadcast of the series is generating significant public interest today, closely mirroring ongoing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, as IDF soldiers remain stationed along the northern border and within Lebanese territory.

By emphasizing how Israeli society is forged through the shared crucible of military service, the return of "Tironut" has reignited highly charged domestic debates, particularly surrounding the controversial draft exemption laws and Torah study legislation that benefit Ultra-Orthodox Israeli citizens who do not enlist.

Today, the subtitle of the "Tironut" trailer:"Look at them- and see us", is still politically correct and reflects the Israeli reality just as it did during the series' original broadcast 28 years ago.
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