The project, named after its host base in the Central Command, was founded following the Gulf War at the initiative of Maj. (res.) Ami Shitrit, a professional in the field of special education. The idea was quickly formulated, approved by the military decision-makers, and within a few weeks transformed into a military project, in which Professor Reuven Feuerstein, founder and director of the International Center for the Enhancement of Learning, became involved as well. The first group of participants included ten youths, and since then some 120 have graduated. At the moment, 48 young people are serving in the army as part of this project.

The participants serve for two years, one day a week, and are paid a token army salary of 1 shekel per day (including insurance). They perform routine tasks on the base, dealing with supplies, kitchen duties, signals and ammunition, subject to two limitations: they are not allowed to perform demeaning tasks, and they cannot carry or be near weapons.

In May of this year, significant progress was made in the project when 14 "Anathot" graduates began serving three annual days of reserve duty, including sleeping in the base. Their work involved preparing equipment for combatants and sorting ammunition for operational activity. Their output, incidentally, was well above the quotas expected of IDF reservists.

Leaders of the project claim that it benefits both the participants and the IDF. The participants gain professional skills and abilities, and most of the graduates are integrated into small private work places or into geriatric social work with a great degree of success. But other than the material gain, there is, of course, an enormous personal benefit as well. The project, claims Professor Feuerstein in an interview for "Bamahane", the IDF's weekly magazine, supplies the participants with "a bridge to life". The participants accept all of the military trappings with great enthusiasm, and their work in the project enables them to deal more easily with other people. "Our goal is to help these young people be integrated into social life", explains one of their commanding officers. "We want them to be able to get up every morning independently, brush their teeth and ride the bus to work."

The IDF, naturally, benefits from the participants' work, which would otherwise be performed by regular conscripts or reservists. But, like the participants, the soldiers enjoy an additional, personal and possibly much more significant gain in terms of human understanding and tolerance. Personal connections formed between the project's participants and the base personnel, especially career servicemen, extend beyond the hours of duty. "Contributing to the project enables these people to experience something they would not find anywhere else", says Feuerstein. "Everyone gains from this project, which has worked to the benefit of the entire disabled population. Today, when a school principal asks me how he is supposed to cope with a disabled child, I answer, 'if the army can, won't you be able to?'. I hope this project rocks the entire educational establishment. I want everyone to know what both parents and society are losing when they bury these human qualities inside institutions".

(Information communicated by the IDF Spokesman - October 23, 1996)