ABSTRACT
New Immigrants are an important special group in the Israeli society. Despite the steady decline in the number of immigrants arriving in Israel, immigration has retained great symbolic importance and occupies a central place in collective consciousness and goal articulation. The public displays relative tolerance to their unfamiliarity with Israeli ways and their lack of knowledge of the Hebrew language. The length of military service for new immigrants changes according to their age on arrival in Israel, their family status and the year they acquired the status of immigrant. New immigrants are not expected to undergo a rapid and overall Israelization but rather to join one of the existing ethno-cultural subgroups based on their country of origin. Length of service is the key variable which determines the new immigrants' special track of absorption in the armed forces and leads to their persistence as a special peripheral group.
