Elinor Joseph is an Israeli-Arab soldier who has served with the Caracal Battalion of the Israel Defense Forces since 2010.
11 Facts About Elinor Joseph
1.
2.
Elinor Joseph became the first Arab woman ever to serve in a combat role in the Israeli military.
3.
Elinor Joseph's parents are Charbel and Warda Joseph and she has an older sister, Lauren.
4.
When Elinor Joseph graduated high school, her father encouraged her to enlist in the IDF.
5.
Deeply disappointed, Elinor Joseph refused to be transported out to a new base, until finally, after several days, a meeting was arranged between her and a colonel from the Northern Command.
6.
Elinor Joseph completed basic training, was the outstanding trainee of her platoon, and subsequently proceeded to the medic's training course.
7.
Elinor Joseph had some misgivings about serving at a border crossing, but in those moments she reminded herself of the Katyusha rockets that rained down on Haifa.
8.
Elinor Joseph thus became the first Arab woman ever to serve in the Israeli army in a combat role.
9.
Elinor Joseph described the reactions of her friends and neighbors as mixed.
10.
Some of Elinor Joseph's friends terminated contact with her, while with others she developed a closer relationship.
11.
Arab-Israeli journalist Suleiman al-Shafi has rejected that Elinor Joseph is the first Arab woman to serve in a combat role in the IDF.