The all-Haredi Hasmonean Brigade held its largest declaration ceremony yet Wednesday, with 97 ultra-Orthodox soldiers pledging loyalty to the State of Israel.
The ceremony for the brigade’s fifth class was held near the Maccabees’ graves in central Israel. It is the ultra-Orthodox unit’s equivalent of a military swearing-in ceremony, though the soldiers declare loyalty rather than take an oath because of religious restrictions on swearing.
3 View gallery
Ultra-Orthodox soldiers from the IDF’s Hasmonean Brigade take part in their largest declaration ceremony yet near the Maccabees’ graves in central Israel
(Photo: IDF)
The soldiers completed a 10-kilometer overnight march before the ceremony, following three weeks of basic training, assignment to teams and a week of field training.
The brigade is part of the military’s effort to integrate more Haredi men into service while accommodating their religious way of life, including strict observance, gender separation and Torah study.
Among the soldiers is Pvt. M., the youngest of nine siblings from Bnei Brak, a major ultra-Orthodox city near Tel Aviv. Most of his brothers studied in prestigious yeshivas, including Ponevezh. One brother served in an IDF unit but has strained ties with the family.
3 View gallery
Ultra-Orthodox soldiers from the IDF’s Hasmonean Brigade take part in their largest declaration ceremony yet near the Maccabees’ graves in central Israel
(Photo: IDF)
After the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, M. decided he wanted to enlist. He had considered military service before but did not follow through, and later served time in military prison for desertion before resolving his status and joining properly.
His family cut ties with him after he decided to enlist. He now lives at the yeshiva he attended before joining the army. He initially worked in the kitchen at the Hasmonean training base but pushed to become a combat soldier and succeeded in joining the latest class.
Another soldier, Pvt. A., comes from Beitar Illit, an ultra-Orthodox West Bank settlement where military enlistment is uncommon. He said he had long felt he did not fit into the traditional yeshiva world and wanted a framework where he could better express himself.
After considering several options, he chose the Hasmonean Brigade. “It is a very good atmosphere,” he said, adding that the training is demanding. He said many of the soldiers are older than 18.
“At first, it was hard for my family to accept my desire to enlist,” he said. “But it was a process, and slowly they got used to it.”
The issue is one of Israel’s most explosive domestic debates. Most Jewish Israelis are required to serve in the military, while many Haredi men have long received exemptions to study in religious seminaries, a system repeatedly challenged in court and blamed for coalition crises.
The dispute has helped bring down previous governments and continues to threaten Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition as Israel faces wartime manpower shortages.