A Mother Goes to War: IDF Reservist Leaves Family to Serve

Danit Silber is one of a growing number of Israeli women who opt to stay in the reserves after motherhood—and who got called up on Oct. 7.

Danit Silber (L) with her husband Yishai, who's holding down the home front while she serves in the IDF near the Lebanese border. Courtesy of Danit Silber.

Capt. Danit Silber has been on duty for almost two months. An IDF reservist, she dropped everything to answer her country’s call on Oct. 7, showing up on base three hours after getting an urgent phone call that fateful afternoon.

That means she is almost two months away from her two toddlers, a son, age 4, and a daughter, age 2. But Capt. Silber knew this was the price she might one day have to pay.