Every IDF base has a synagogue, but only one of them is located on the most dangerous point on the northern frontier. The soldiers of Company D of the 101st Paratrooper Battalion are stationed in the Gladiola outpost, located at the top of Mount Dov — an Israeli exclave located in its entirety over the border fence and is known internationally by the name Shebaa Farms.
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The outpost is characterized by extreme temperatures, challenging terrain, and an enemy that continuously watches from the other side of the border.
Even in a remote outpost within a closed-off military zone that can only be accessed through armored military convoys, there is a synagogue that serves all soldiers stationed in the volatile area on the Lebanese border.
Large investments have recently been made into the base's infrastructure, including the synagogue, kitchen, and housing. Captain Rabbi Harel Deutsch of the 769th Brigade said, "Even in such a remote base, and for every soldier in the 769th Brigade in general, the demand is to work continuously and persistently to ensure the security of northern residents and Israel. We must maintain routine and understand that daily work, which may appear normal and routine, is the most important and useful."
In the 'eyes of the country'
The northernmost IDF synagogue is located in the Astra outpost within the Golan Heights and the Hermon region, situated at the tripoint between Israel, Syria, and Lebanon.
The soldiers of the 101st Paratrooper Battalion are dealing with an unfenced border, two sectors, and two different enemies that require diverse and coordinated strategies.
The synagogue was renovated about six months ago as part of the renovation project of the bases on Mount Hermon. Captain Rabbi Dror Rivlin of the 474th Territorial Brigade, stated, "This year marks fifty years since the Six-Day War. The Astra outpost and its synagogue represent a symbol of the legacy of the decisive battle in which the IDF conquered the Hermon from the Syrians.
The synagogues in the Hermon, including Astra, are built within the mountain that serves as 'the eyes of the country.' In our prayers from there, through these eyes, we can truly gaze at all of Israel and direct our prayers to continue to preserve and protect it."
On the Lebanon border
The synagogue on Rosh Hanikra base in the 300th Territorial Brigade is perched on the beautiful cliffs at Israel’s most northwestern tip, near the border with Lebanon. The synagogue was donated with funds from the Jewish community in Milan through the Association for the Wellbeing of Soldiers.
The soldiers stationed on the base, one of the few in the country whose soldiers cooperate daily with the Navy due to its proximity to the coast, recently thwarted an attempt by an unarmed infiltrator to enter Israeli territory.
"Every Shabbat, we pray for the IDF soldiers 'standing guard over our land and the cities of our God, from the border with Lebanon to the Egyptian desert.' In this context, Rosh Hanikra serves as the beginning of the Lebanese border," explains Captain Rabbi Ohad Shali of the 300th Brigade.