ABSTRACT
Mother's Voice has for over thirty years been the flagship programme of Galatz, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) radio station for families and soldiers on duty. This chapter shows that the concept of "mother's voice" bears a significant and complex emotional message for Israeli families and society. The reasons behind the depth of the anxiety expressed by mothers are not anchored in reality: injuries sustained while on military duty are not the main source of injuries among young Israeli men. In successfully fulfilling one maternal task, the mother fails in the other. Unaware of this source of her anxiety, she relates it to the fact that she fears for her son's life. Helplessness and lack of control were the intense sensations expressed by mothers because of their inability to protect their sons and save them from the dangers inherent in military conscription.
