"Shooting and crying" ( ''yorim ve bochim'') is an expression used to describe books, films or other forms of media that portray soldiers expressing

remorse Remorse is a distressing emotion experienced by an individual who regrets actions which they have done in the past that they deem to be shameful, hurtful, or wrong. Remorse is closely allied to guilt and self-directed resentment. When a person ...

for actions they were ordered to undertake during their service. It has often been associated with a practice that some former

Israel Defense Force The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...

soldiers follow.

Descriptions

Gil Hochberg described "shooting and crying" as a soldier being "sorry for things I had to do." This " non-apologetic apology" was the self-critique model advanced in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

in many politically reflective works of literature and cinema as "a way of maintaining the nation's self-image as youthful and innocent. Along with its sense of vocation against the reality of war, growing military violence, occupation, invasion, here was ..an overall sense that things were going wrong." Felice Naomi Wonnenberg (writing for the book ''Contemporary Jewish Reality in Germany and Its Reflection in Film'') described "shooting and crying" as people being "aware of the problematic issues of war, yet still take part in it." Sarah Benton described it as "an act through which the soldier cleans his

conscience Conscience is a cognitive process that elicits emotion and rational associations based on an individual's moral philosophy or value system. Conscience stands in contrast to elicited emotion or thought due to associations based on immediate sens ...

(at least somewhat), without taking personal responsibility or any practical steps, either to prevent 'inappropriate behavior by soldiers in the field' as it occurs or to redress injustice and prosecute criminals later." Karen Grumberg noted that "the

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

soldier, a man with a conscience, loathes violence but realizes he must act violently to survive; the dilemma causes him to weep while pulling the trigger. Looking inward, he despairs at the violence he feels compelled to enact this way because he fears his moral corruption." Amir Vodka wrote that "It typically depicts the IDF in a critical light, as a traumatizer of young soldiers, yet the genre itself is often criticized for turning the assailants into victims, and in a sense allowing the continuation of war under the guise of self-victimization."

Appearances in media

Literature

* ''

Khirbet Khizeh ''Khirbet Khizeh'' (Hebrew: חִרְבֶּת חִזְעָה, also ''Hirbet Hizeh, Hirbet Hizah'') is a historical fiction novel by Israeli writer S. Yizhar which was published in 1949, and deals with the expulsion of the fictional village of '' ...

'' (1949) * ''Si’ah Lohamim (Fighters’ Discourse)'' (1968)

Film

* ''Resisim'' (1989) * ''The Deserter's Wife'' (1991) * ''Z'man Emet ''(1991) * ''Time for Cherries'' (1991) * ''

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...

'' (2007) * ''

Waltz with Bashir ''Waltz with Bashir'' ( he, ואלס עם באשיר, translit. ''Vals Im Bashir'') is a 2008 Israeli adult animated war documentary drama film written, produced, and directed by Ari Folman. It depicts Folman's search for lost memories o ...

'' (2008) * ''Lebanon'' (2009)

Television

* ''

Fauda ''Fauda'' (, from ''fawḍā'', meaning "chaos") is an Israeli television series developed by Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff drawing on their experiences in the Israel Defense Forces. The series premiered on February 15, 2015. It tells the sto ...

'' (2015–20)

References