Grilus. In his brother’s footsteps
Mixing mitzvot observance with fighting
Photo: IDF's Spokesperson Unit
Haredi soldier: Those who don’t study must fight
Recruit number 2,000 to haredi regiment says that while best way to defend Israel is by studying Torah, those who are unable to do so must join the IDF
The haredi Nahal regiment marked the recruitment of its 2,000th soldier on Sunday. The new recruit, Itamar Grilus (18) from the strictly Orthodox Givat Shaul neighborhood in Jerusalem, told Ynet, “I think that the best way to defend the land of Israel is by studying Torah, but if one is unable to sit and study all day, he should physically defend Israel.”
Grilus, who traded his black suit for army uniform Sunday morning, was a student at prestigious Lithuanian yeshivot and enlisted in the IDF following his brother, who also served in the haredi Nahal.
Founded in 1999, the regiment is considered to be very successful, and has even registered an increase of 15 percent in the number of recruits this year.
“I made the decision to enlist with my parents and my family, who support me completely.” Grilus said. “I was offered by the army to join elite combat units, but I told them that if it weren’t for the haredi Nahal I wouldn’t have joined the army. The regiment is the only place where I can be a combatant and contribute, and at the same time preserve my haredi lifestyle to the maximum.”
Grilus will undergo four months of boot camp, followed by advanced training, after which he will join one of the veteran brigades in the regiment.
‘Trend must be strengthened’
Rabbi Zvi Klobenau, head of the Netzach Yehuda-Haredi Nahal institution that founded the regiment, was also very excited on Sunday. “The enlistment of the 2,000th soldier is a milestone for the regiment. This is an operational, fighting regiment that protects Israeli citizens in general, and in the Jordan Rift valley area in particular,” he stated.“It should be kept in mind that the soldiers who joined the regiment wouldn’t have enlisted in the army if there wasn’t a haredi regiment committed to observing Torah, mitzvot and the haredi atmosphere,” he added.
According to the rabbi, “We have proven that it’s possible to set up a framework in the army that allows the soldier to maintain a haredi lifestyle and be a full-fledged fighter, without having the one canceling the other.
“There is a substantial rise in the number of recruits today, and this is a growing trend that must not be overlooked. We must do whatever we can to strengthen this trend, so that those who choose not to study in a yeshiva enlist in the army,” he concluded.
