Lily 16

Meanwhile, at the IDF library, chaos reigns supreme. The Captain who is in charge of Finance and Admin will be my boss. She and I meet to decide how to proceed.
See well over half the total book stock is sitting in the back room, not checked in after being returned by patrons.
In the end, we come to a sensible compromise anyhow. There are two reasons why it's pointless to try to keep the doors open continuously.
One, I don't have a lot that I can lend; will waste time that could be used for the repair job.
Two, many soldiers on the station are just about to depart on two weeks on maneuvers.
Under her orders, the library is closed for two weeks and she loans me Esther to help out.
And so, it works out well. By the time the library reopens, almost all the backlog has been cleared; I now have adequate stock to loan out.
I had heard via the grapevine that IDF soldiers tend to be very scornful and condescending towards any North American Jews they encounter.
But this is not my experience. They are hugely pleased their library is back in shape. After all, reading is much more of a thing in the IDF than in many western armies.
And so it is, the job works out very well. From there on, just keep things in shape.