ABSTRACT
In this paper I examine the relationship between “manhood” and “military service” as it emerges from the accounts found in Amia Lieblich’s (1989) significant book, The Transition to Adulthood During Military Service: The Israeli Case. By manhood, I refer to the main ideals of approved ways of being a Jewish male in Israeli society. These ideals are not a set of psychological traits which spe cific individuals may or may not possess, but rather a group of cul turally available, recognized and legitimate themes which are more or less identified with certain aspects of being a man in this society (see Gilmore 1990: 1). Military service embraces the variety of role components related to soldiering, and the set of practices and ar-
rangements that structure the experience of individuals within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
