Lieutenant Tav, the religious daughter of an immigrant from the Ivory Coast, says her looks ‘are not the story’ — what’s important is how well she does her job

@ TimesofIsrael.com, Dec. 28, with photo

[....]Tav, who was only identified by her rank and first initial of her name, grew up in Jerusalem with immigrant parents. Her father moved to Israel from the Ivory Coast, her mother from France.

While she heard comments from other kids about her skin color growing up, Tav said she never let them dictate how she views herself. “What I would tell any kid who feels he is being diminished, is that it’s a matter of point of view and that it doesn’t take anything from your abilities… It’s something external,” she said.

Though many religious women opt for other forms of national service after high school rather than serve in the military, Tav said that she never questioned whether she’d enlist.“I’m not the classic religious woman you think of. I’m one of the religious girls who for me that isn’t the [entire] story,” she said.

What was important was for her to be outside of her comfort zone. “I like the challenge. It’s important to me that I be in a place that isn’t comfortable for me, that’s it not easy for me there, that I need to work in order to achieve,” [....]