Recruitment offices across Israel held an enlistment day Sunday for ultra-Orthodox tracks in the IDF, with the army saying the programs allow soldiers to advance during their service into officer and command roles adapted to their way of life.
The Hasmonean Brigade, the IDF's first all-ultra-Orthodox brigade, has operated during the war in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Over the past two months, brigade forces operated under the command of the 300th Brigade in western Lebanon, carrying out raids and searches for weapons and destroying terrorist infrastructure, the military said.
Hasmonean Brigade forces operating in southern Lebanon
(Video: IDF)
Last week, brigade troops arrested a terrorist from Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, who was transferred for further interrogation inside Israel.
In addition to infantry combat training, the brigade’s training base offers a squad commanders’ course, a medics’ course and a range of professional courses, including night-driving and drone training. In recent weeks, the first class completed the brigade’s officer course, which the military said is gender-segregated and adapted to the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle.
The Netzah Yehuda Battalion is the IDF’s first ultra-Orthodox battalion. It was established to allow ultra-Orthodox men to combine combat service with continued observance of their lifestyle. The battalion has an ultra-Orthodox character and unique service conditions that allow its soldiers to maintain that way of life.
Netzah Yehuda operated during the war in Gaza and Lebanon. Since the beginning of the war, its soldiers have killed hundreds of terrorists in various sectors, the military said. In Gaza, the battalion destroyed more than 7 kilometers, or 4.3 miles, of underground tunnel routes in Beit Hanoun.
Training for Netzah Yehuda soldiers includes basic combat training and advanced training over about eight months. Soldiers qualify as Rifleman 07 and specialize in a range of combat skills.
The Hetz Company, an ultra-Orthodox paratroopers unit, operates under the command of the Paratroopers Brigade. During the war, the company has operated in four sectors: the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
In the West Bank, the company operated at hundreds of targets, made dozens of arrests and located numerous weapons and terrorist infrastructure, the military said. During the Iran war, the company operated in Gaza under the command of the 252nd Division and held the so-called "yellow line" ceasefire demarcation.
Selection for Hetz Company includes physical and mental tests that assess discipline and the desire to contribute to the operational effort while maintaining an ultra-Orthodox lifestyle.