In Israel, where serving in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is mandatory for all citizens over the age of 18, a person's army position can set their trajectory for life—some equate it to the difference between choosing a local college and an Ivy League university in America. Mechinot help recent high-school graduates prepare for their service with opportunities for Jewish study, volunteering, skill-building, and personal development in the interim between ending school and beginning service in the IDF.
The goal is to help these young people generate the unique mix of self-reliance and sense of communal responsibility that will help them thrive mentally and emotionally in whatever challenges they face next. There are several Mechinot clusters for specialized groups, including ones for young women, ultra-Orthodox men who choose to enlist, as well as for cross-cultural groups like Jews and Christians or Jewish and Arab-speaking Israelis.
