Israeli soldiers share stories during UCD visit

Two Israeli soldiers will recount their experiences and share insights of serving in the Israeli Defense Forces at 7 p.m. Monday in 106 Olson Hall at UC Davis.

Ranya Fadal and Ran Bar-Yoshafat will discuss their backgrounds and life in Israel and answer questions. The tour is sponsored by StandWithUs, an international Israel education organization, and co-sponsored by Chai Life-Club of UCD. Admission is free.

The speakers are part of Israeli Soldiers’ Stories, which sends reserve-duty Israeli college students to campuses and other venues to talk about the Israeli-Arab conflict, putting a human face in the IDF uniform.

Many of the reservists are part of a group that provides video testimony at www.soldiersspeakout.com, where they highlight their personal experiences. This is an independent initiative that is not coordinated with either the IDF or the Israeli government.

Fadel, born and raised in the northern Israeli town of Maghar, belongs to Israel’s Druze community. She earned a diploma in biotechnology and a bachelor’s degree in political sciences at Bar Ilan University.

Bar-Yoshafat is a Jewish Israeli; both sets of his grandparents are Holocaust survivors. He is the former Israeli national champion for mixed martial arts (1999-2000) and a trained lawyer (LL.B. degree from Hebrew University Law School).

For more information, visit www.standwithus.com.