NO COMBAT

The last time we were in Israel we had the opportunity to spend time with someone from our comunity who made aliyah and had recently joined the Israeli Defense Forces.
 "How did you parents feel about your decisions?" I asked him.
 "My mother wasn't happy at all," he said.  "She made me promise not to work in the combat zone and to never become religious." 
"Staying away from the combat zone makes sense," I said.  "But what's wrong with you becoming religious?"  "I don't know," he said, fingering the Jewish star hanging from a gold chain around his neck. You'll have to ask her."