Despite what my Israeli-born kids say, my Hebrew is pretty good for an oleh. I read Haaretz, watch Israeli TV and sometimes listen to Israeli news radio (like there’s anything else?). But when they come home from miluim (reserve) duty and start talking to each other in Tzahalit * (military slang), it’s a different story. When that happens — which is all the time — it reminds me that IDF stands for something entirely different for me: “I Don’t Follow.”

Why isn’t there a special ulpan for this?

The simple answer is military slang is fluid. Sure, some terms don’t change, but every new wave of military recruitment brings new phrases and abbreviations. Sometimes it seems like the best bet is to walk around with a pad and pencil (or to set my smartphone to record). Then all I have to do is keep my ears peeled and ask a lot of questions as I try to master — or at least understand —Tzahalit.

Abbreviations and Shared Trauma

Much of Tzahalit sounds like an app or wartime-operation codes: Patzmar. Mem-Pei. Nagmash. Chamshush. These are common enough terms on every Israeli military base. But out of context, in casual conversation on Dizengoff Street, it’s all Chinese to the average oleh’s ear.

Tzahalit may have connections to Hebrew, but it’s also rich in folklore, shared trauma and a bit of stand-up comedy all rolled into one. Why does your Israeli friend keep saying “al ha’panim” (on the face) when describing how their last date went? Why does your coworker say “nafal alai tik” (a file fell on me) when talking about a new project? Are these injuries? Lawsuits? Nope. Just classic Tzahalit, where metaphors and exaggerations reign supreme.

A Shared Language, Even When
No One Knows What They’re Saying

Here’s the real kicker: A lot of Israelis don’t know what half of these acronyms mean either. They just nod along, throw in a “sababa” for good measure, and keep going. Military slang has become its own dialect—not just of Hebrew, but of being Israeli. It’s a linguistic handshake, a way to show you’re part of the club, even if you have no clue what the club actually does.

It’s also weirdly democratic. Whether you were in combat or the army band, everyone walked away with a glossary of strange phrases and an unnatural confidence in using them in everyday life. Soldiers become civilians, but the slang marches on.

So Don’t Worry – Really!

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, that’s totally normal. You are not alone. Every oleh or olah has had the moment of nodding through a conversation where they understood every individual word but still had no idea what was going on. That’s not a language barrier; that’s cultural initiation.

The good news? You’ll get used to it. You’ll start picking up the cadence, the jokes, the weird turns of phrase. You may never fully understand what matak stands for (it’s something about manpower and coffee machines), but you’ll come to love the way Israelis use language like a shared inside joke. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about memorizing acronyms. It’s about getting comfortable in the chaos and laughing with everyone else.

* Tzahalit – a term coined by Israeli linguist and lexicographer Dr. Rubik Rosenthal who published the book, “Speaking Tzahalit.”

A Few Links on Tzahalit:

The Michael Levin Base for Lone Soldiers – Army Slang: https://themichaellevinbase.org/armyslang

The Jerusalem Post – Slang from the IDF: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/tzahalit-slang-from-the-idf-620676

Citizen Café Tel Aviv – 8 Hebrew Slang Terms That Originated From the Israeli Army: https://www.citizencafetlv.com/blog/hebrew-slang-words-originated-israeli-defense-forces-idf-army/

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