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Its about time for you to see the real thing…

Category: Blog

Published on Thursday, 03 February 2011 22:57

Written by Tomer Peretz

A solider is described in Webster’s as a skilled warrior and one who is engaged in military service.  Ever since Tomer Peretz could remember, he wanted to be a soldier and defend the principles of freedom by joining the Israel Defense Forces.  Being a soldier was in his bloodline.  Both his father and brother served in the “Golani,” an Israeli infantry brigade and one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the Israel Defense Forces.  After being a guard and spending two grueling, yet highly didactic and rewarding months in a local military prison, his wish was finally granted and he was given the opportunity to start training for the special brigade known as “Sayeret Golani.”  As soon as training began, he was confronted with the mental and physical toughness needed to become a “Golani”  warrior. He slowly started to understand what being a highly-trained special operations soldier meant in engaging not only your body and mind, but also the soul.

During Tomer’s service with the “Golani,” he found his calling.  His first experience as an officer was daunting, as he was given the responsibility of leading thirty soldiers in areas like Gaza, Jenin and Lebanon.  During those incredible three years of service, he was involved in lethal and dangerous battles that resulted in the loss of many of his closest friends and fellow soldiers.

After four long and memorable years, Peretz fulfilled his obligation to the Army and travelled to South America.  In this beautiful and culturally-rich continent he discovered the art of painting.  A year later, he moved to Los Angeles and became engulfed in the local art scene.  He flourished in his new-found passion for the arts and soon found himself receiving praise from many critics for his fascinating work.  Tomer has since shown his work in over 30 exhibitions and several galleries in Los Angeles , Las Vegas and Israel.

Tomer’s military past was never far from his mind, and he often encountered people with varying questions about his time in the IDF.  Frequently he was asked, “Why does your army attack all the time?”  As an Israeli, this particular question had a bitter sting; but as a former Israeli soldier, he felt there was no one better suited to answer those questions.   Having a background in an elite, special forces brigade is something not many people hear about, and even fewer get to experience.  People outside of the Army often do not know about the goodwill efforts put forth and the rules and regulations that govern the Israel Defense Forces.  During Peretz’s time in the IDF, every gun shot fired had to be approved.  He and his fellow troops carried toys and candies to give the Palestinian kids whenever they entered Gaza.  In one memorable incident, his brigade stumbled upon rocket launchers inside a school yard, only to later find out that those very rockets had been used to kill two Israeli girls in Sderot.

Tomer ultimately decided to pose his answers in a personal and expressive exhibition which would tell “his side of the story,” and give those who had questions a taste of what Tomer calls, “the real thing.”  This current exhibition named “Different Face”, gives the audience a real military experience – an experience that has never been seen in any media form, and one which gives a completely different point of view on a very controversial issue, relations in the Middle East.  Tomer says he is proud to have served in an Army which is “built on human rights, respect, responsibility, control, professionalism and patriotism, and where life comes first regardless of religious, gender, nationality, class or role.”  This project is an opportunity to give audiences everywhere insight into the world in which Tomer Peretz lived, breathed, and learned the extraordinary ways of a special operations soldier. 

“I have seen compassion, love and indiscriminate destruction with my bare eyes.  The media presents it one way and what really happens is usually completely different.  I was there, I saw it, and I felt it.  I learned to deal with feelings like joy and sadness, alertness and exhaustion and yes, many times even pain.  Only the ones who were there can really understand the truth and harshness of military life.”

– Tomer Peretz