You're in the Army Now

I've been busy making a few cards "for the boys" lately, starting with this card for a recent recruit into the Israeli army. This young man gained a place in the Golani Brigade, an Israeli infantry brigade that is traditionally responsible for the northern front with Syria and Lebanon. The brigade is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the Israel Defence Forces and the birthday boy's grandma is very proud of her grandson. She specifically asked whether I could make him a birthday card showing his brigade's symbol. Of course I could!
I did a little research and showed the young man wearing service uniform and proudly holding up his brigade's insignia: a green olive tree with its roots on a yellow background. Apparently the symbol was drawn by the 12th Battalion's intelligence officer who came from kibbutz Beit Keshet, a kibbutz in the Lower Galilee which is home to numerous olive trees. The colour green symbolises the green hills of the Galilee, where the brigade was stationed at the time of its creation, and the olive tree is known for its strong roots that penetrate and firmly hold the land, reflecting the brigade's connection with the State of Israel's heritage. Early Golani soldiers were farmers and new immigrants, so the strong connection to the land was important to symbolise. The yellow background on which the tree stands reflects the brigade's role in the south of the country in the war of 1948, when it captured Umm-Rashrash, now Eilat, Israel's southernmost city.
The Hebrew greeting on the card says "Happy Birthday to N. my dear Grandson."

My father-in-law celebrated a birthday recently and so I popped this card into the post to let him know that we were thinking of him.

Finally the card below was made for a young man who recently celebrated his 18th birthday. His Mum told me that he is passionate about the English football club West Ham United but also loves cricket and watching our more local team מ.ש. מודיען. They haven't made it to the Premier League quite yet but apparently the birthday boy is a loyal supporter and enjoys watching them play. I was pleased to be able to find a photo of the team in their blue kit on the web.
Happy Birthday and Mazal Tov to all the "boys". It was rather nice to make cards that were not all football-themed for once!