A select group of AMIT Network eleventh graders from across the country – from Yerucham in the South to Or Akiva in the North – toured the Army Radio studios in Jaffa this week. Army Radio (Galei Tzahal in Hebrew, known in Israel by its acronym Galatz) is a national radio network operated by the Israel Defense Forces. The station broadcasts news, music, traffic reports and educational programs to the general public as well as entertainment and military news magazines for soldiers. Both soldiers and civilians staff the station.
The tour was part of a special project initiated by journalists who are graduates of the station to encourage young people from the periphery to try out for IDF service at Army Radio. In addition, in order to increase the diversity at the station, there is now an effort underway to draw applicants from the religious sector in general and the AMIT Network in particular.
“Army Radio has already changed in recent years,” said Yaron Dekel, the Army Radio station commander, “and it now has many representatives from the geographical and social periphery of Israel. It is important that this process continue, in order to maintain a true representation of Israel’s population at the station. “During the visit, students spoke with Dekel, observed the airing of a well-known talk show, toured the newsroom and music studio and participated in a news editing exercise.
Dr. Amnon Eldar, Director General of the AMIT Network, said that the Network instills the values of leadership and societal involvement. “It is clear to us that serving at Army Radio is a key way to influence society,” said Dr. Eldar. “Therefore we encourage students who are right for this kind of service to apply.”
