Meet Ulysse.
A man who sees the world in colours, textures, memories and fantasies. An artist. A painter. A poet. And a combat soldier in the Israel Defense Forces.
Ulysse was born in Paris, France. His family’s diasporic tradition came from Morocco and Tunisia.
Growing up, Judaism and Zionism weren’t central to his life. He was a normal Parisian, living, working, going to school. At the age of 13 he began working in a theatre, doing odd jobs and fixing things. At the age of 15 he discovered art – to draw, read, write, and to understand the world.
At the age of 17 he discovered his Judaism.
The loss of several family members left Ulysse in charge of reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish (a prayer traditionally recited for the dead). The prayers make mention of Israel and Jerusalem, which awakened his curiosity for his heritage. He began conducting research online, purchased books, and watched movies about Israel.
Immediately he felt a connection to Israel. And he knew he wanted to be a part of this big, crazy, energetic place.
Ulysse decided to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Initially his plan was to only enlist for 18 months, but after he arrived he decided to commit to the full service in order to be eligible for special forces. And thus began his military journey. It was an experience like no other. He was thrown into the deep end, forced to master a new language. It was 2020 and the pandemic had just begun. He recounts this time as being intense, but at least he got to spend his days outdoors, despite not being allowed to go home for 15 months.
Ulysse served in the Nahal brigade, an infantry unit. He spent his service in Nablus and Jenin ensuring Israel’s security. He was released from the army in 2023.
In his civilian life Ulysse creates art. Art that is vibrant, and full of overlapping and interconnected worlds. Art that is sad and happy and full of colour. Art that is the result of approaching the canvas with an open heart, encouraging everyone who sees it to do the same. Art that makes you want to live life fully, to put yourself on the main stage of your life, becoming your own main character. He wants his art to encourage you to do what you want and go to the extremes in all aspects of your life – in projects, at work, in daily life, in friendships, in love. It urges you to ask yourself ‘who do I want to be?”.
Before October 7th, Ulysse was caught up in the craziness of daily life. He was looking forward to the holiday weekend so that he could relax over the Sabbath and Simchat Torah. His roommate woke him up on October 7th.
“I didn’t believe him. ‘What do you mean war? Leave me alone, I want to sleep, I’m tired.’” Shabbat is Ulysse’s only day off of work. “I didn’t want to hear about war, I’m not a combat soldier anymore. I keep Shabbat, I didn’t want to open my phone.”
Ulysse’s roomate showed him the videos of what was unfolding on that fateful morning. Ulysse had no choice but to open his phone. He saw the atrocities that were unfolding, he saw that friends were being killed. Messages began flowing in from his soldier friends. “Pack your bags, we’re getting recalled, we’re going to fight.”
“It was something that I have only seen in movies. It hasn’t happened in 50 years that all reservists were called up. This was an extreme situation.” He had never been a reservist before. He had only recently finished his military service.
Ulysse packed his bag and went to a friend’s apartment. Together they investigate what’s really going on, and they receive their orders. Together they headed directly to the North. The news from the day starts trickling in. They learn of the wounded, of those that will require amputations, of the non-stop bombs. They load into the armoured military vehicles. It’s very crowded inside them. What would normally be a two hour drive took 12 hours because of security concerns.
Eventually Ulysse and his company arrive at the northern border with Lebanon. Everyone’s phones were taken away while they were on their shifts.
“This was one of the hardest parts of being in combat – the constant disconnecting and reconnecting to your life.”
Ulysse’s shifts would last for three days at a time. Three days of relentless rocket fire from Hezbollah. Three days of counter strikes or the Iron Dome shooting the missiles down. Three days of being disconnected from everything and everyone. Three very intense days.
“When you come off duty you get your phone back. You turn it on and see that more friends have died in battle. You see that more people you love have been injured. You don’t know how to handle that or how to react. You don’t want to talk to friends and family, you don’t have the patience. You’re broken, you’re tired, you just don’t have the mental capacity for any of it. You turn your phone back off and return for your next three day shift. The cycle beings again. You go back to fight terrorists. Eventually you return and again open your phone to see what’s happening. You have no idea what’s going on in the country, you don’t have access to the news. So you turn your phone on to find that there has been more death, more terrorists. You want to talk to people, but the more you scroll, the more bad news you see. You keep returning from your shifts to find that more people have died. You see that their funerals are taking place, but you can’t go to pay your respects, you can’t go to say goodbye to your friends one last time. It’s very hard to know how to handle these extreme emotions.”
Ulysse talks about the realities of being a soldier in war. “Not only are you in an emotionally charged environment where your nerves are constantly frayed, but you’re filthy.” There are no showers for a month. “All of a sudden you have a beard, fungal infections, long nails, dirty teeth. There are no proper bathrooms, you have to do your business outside.” He recounted having to do his business while bombs were exploding nearby. He laughed when talking about it, “if you don’t look for the humour, you’ll go crazy.” He did note that while he could laugh about his own experiences, people did get injured while going to the ‘bathroom.’
The war took a toll on Ulysse and his friends. “People struggle mentally, it’s a hard situation to be in, but we have therapy sessions with psychologists to help us process what we were going through. We would talk to each other about the problems we were facing and come up with solutions together.”
There was a growing frustration experienced by soldiers at the Northern border. While their brothers in arms in the south were progressing in the war, as difficult as that experience was, the soldiers in the north were in a holding pattern. There was no progression, for better or for worse. “It was frustrating to not be doing anything. You keep waiting for escalation. Bombs keep going off. You think you might die. But nothing moves forward.”
When looking at soldiers returning from war, we often look more at their physical injuries as the measure of what they endured. But of course, we all know that they can and do sustain mental injuries as well. “You have no patience for people. You don’t want to talk. You don’t want to hear other people’s stories or what they have gone through. You don’t want to hear the news. You don’t even want to hear yourself. Everything is sad. It’s all too heavy. If someone talks to me about something connected to the war – I just can’t hear it. We become aggressive, like dogs. It’s not nice. Everyone is on their last nerve. No one likes to be in fight-mode all the time, but we very much are, and it’s not good.”
Now that he has been released, Ulysse is slowly allowing himself to open back up to the beauty and kindness in the world. He is slowly beginning to breathe again and getting back to his usual routine.
“The war has changed me. It will change my art, too. Now it is much more delicate, it is more focused on a Jewish identity. I didn’t want that to be the core of my art before. I put everything down on the canvas – my feelings about my friends, Israel, what we endured together – I put it on the canvas in photos and in colour. I am working to not be afraid of what I am feeling. As long as I can draw what I’m feeling, I know I’ll be okay.”
Ulysse feels much more connected to his Judaism now. Before the war his art was centered on peace and love. It has changed now – after he saw his friends killed, the women and men of Israel raped, brutalized, kidnapped, murdered. “Right now I am more concerned with our future; the future of the Jewish nation.”
“It’s sad. The war doesn’t just impact the people fighting it, or the citizens of Gaza, Lebanon, or Israel. It impacts the education, the children, and the future. It effects our health and our spirit. I’ll always teach my children to love Israel and others, but also always to be careful. We can never become too comfortable. What we went through can happen again.”
When reflecting on the fact that he is not a native Israeli, and the impact that has on his family back in France, Ulysse recounts that his mother was scared for him, as any mother would be. She didn’t want him to go to the army, she wanted him to come back to France. But she relented, and ultimately supported his decision after he explained that he is a part of this nation, this country. He is often more scared for his family in France. “It’s terrifying what’s going on in Paris. Paris, the city of lights, is the most beautiful city in the world. But now…it’s unrecognizable. It’s terrifying. I think European Jews are realizing that Europe isn’t really our home. Although, even in living in Israel isn’t without risk of antisemitic attacks.” He has tried to encourage his family to join him here, but understands that it’s hard to live a life that has been fully established. He is happy to note that they are also reconnecting with their Judaism and becoming increasingly connected to Israel as time goes on.
When asked how he would feel about returning to France, or to Europe, especially as a Jew in today’s world, Ulysse responds, “I’m proud to represent Jews and Israel. Of course it’s hard. But there is pride knowing that we have a country and an army now. I can stand – whether it’s in Rome under the Arch of Titus, or in Paris where the Jews were rounded up, or in Germany – and feel free. Today we are strong. Of course they will continue to want to harm us, but now we are stronger. And that’s a powerful feeling.”
While in the army, all political discussions seemed to be put to rest. No one talked about politics, judicial reform, religiousness, right and left. “We were all united together, that’s when we are most powerful. Our enemies were watching us tear each other apart, we need to do better.”
What comes next is lots of breathing, returning to civilian life, digesting what he lived through and drawing. Lots of drawing.
“We need to remember to not return to what was. We need to cope with the new reality. It’s different. It’s difficult. We need to not be afraid to love and to help others. We want to give, and we want to receive when everyone’s heart is open. It’s fun to be alive. We have to take what we’ve been through and create beauty from it.”
Spoken like a true artist.
Please visit www.ubabart.com to support Ulysse and to aquire his art. Follow on Instagram @ubabmad
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