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July 1, 2005
Part of Israel's defence landscape
Defying stereotypes, ultra-Orthodox soldiers prove their mettle
in the Jordan Valley's Netzah Yehuda battalion.
EDGAR ASHER ISRANET
Among many secular Israelis, as well as a large number of religious
Zionists, there has always been a resentment directed towards the
ultra-Orthodox community for their lack of participation in the
active defence of Israel.
Most members of the Charedi community receive an exemption from
regular army service on request. This exemption has its origins
dating back to the foundation of the state, when the Charedi population
was very small and therefore had little effect on manpower requirements.
Some five years ago, a commission was set up under the chairmanship
of retired Supreme Court justice Tzvi Tal. The commission tried
to find a way to allow the ultra-Orthodox to become more integrated
into society without having to compromise on their religious principles.
At the time the commission was established, nearly 10 per cent of
young men reaching army age were receiving exemption from service.
The ultra-Orthodox also had an eloquent spokesman in the Knesset,
Avraham Ravitz, from the United Torah Judaism party. He was on record
as saying at the time that, "The draft should not touch those
talmudic scholars who devote themselves to Torah study. They should
be cultivated and encouraged, as they are the crown of the Jewish
people."
Ravitz, like many of the ultra-Orthodox community, preferred to
see the status quo maintained. At the extreme end of the Charedi
community, there were a small number who, apart from not serving
in the army or doing community service, did not even acknowledge
the existence of the state of Israel.
The commission felt that to impose the draft on a sector of the
religious public who would never agree to serve in the Israel Defence
Forces (IDF) would be counter-productive and impossible to administer.
They did, however, feel that their proposals would allow ultra-Orthodox
men to play some part in the IDF and still maintain their religious
practices if they wished.
A former IDF brigadier general, Yehuda Duvdevani, was very concerned
about the polarization of Israeli society and he decided to see
what he could do to bring the secular and the religious a little
closer together. Duvdevani set about the task of learning about
the community. He reasoned that many young men from Charedi families
do not always sit in yeshivot (religious seminaries) and
instead of "hanging around," they could become part of
the community by doing some kind of military service, even if it
was shorter than usual. If a type of unit could be developed that
offered, in addition to military training, an environment where
there was the possibility to study Torah on a daily basis, eat only
glatt kosher food and have no contact with female soldiers, then
he was sure such a unit could be successful.
There was already a precedent for Duvdevani's ideas. The Hesder
program for religious youth was already well established. Religious
Zionists would enter the army in the same way as their secular counterparts,
but they would remain for a longer overall period, spending longer
breaks in their service to study at a yeshivah. Most Hesder army
programs were for the formation of fighting units and many graduates
of the program formed tank units that excelled in times of war,
as well as the recent intifada.
There was already a scheme in existence called Nahal that combined
military service with the establishment of agricultural settlements.
Nahal, which is the Hebrew acronym for "Fighting Pioneer
Youth," already attracted all kinds of young idealistic Jewish
men and women from all over the world.
It was from these ideas that a new, exclusively religious, unit
was formed. The Netzah Yehuda (Strength of Yehuda) battalion
was established in the Jordan Valley. It was named in honor of Duvdevani,
recognizing his single-minded quest to help unite Israeli society.
Over the space of a few years, the unit enlarged. Today, it is a
company of about 100 soldiers, divided into three squads.
The unit is now known by many as Nahal Charedi. However, this is
a misnomer, as only a very small percentage of the company is truly
Charedi. They are, in fact, a very eclectic group of individuals,
comprised of Israelis from all backgrounds, as well as young volunteers
from North America, Europe and Australia. Some have made aliyah,
while others have not yet decided what they will do. Some are newly
religious and see the unit as a way of identifying with Israel and
the Jewish people.
The unit has undoubtedly been a success – although not an unqualified
one, as criticism still comes from both within and outside the unit
that some individuals just do not pull their weight. Also, the Israeli
media has not always been kind to the soldiers. Stereotypes about
the Charedi community color all the articles and the mainly cynical
Israeli secular press finds it difficult to give praise where praise
is really due.
In February 2002, when a Palestinian terrorist dressed in IDF uniform
managed to infiltrate the nearby settlement of Hamra and murder
a mother and daughter, the Nahal Charedi unit, which had their base
some 25 kilometres from Hamra, were criticized by the media for
taking more than an hour to kill the lone terrorist. What the media
missed was the fact that not one of the soldiers at the scene of
the incident were from the Nahal unit. The commander of the unit
responsible for searching out and eventually killing the terrorist
was a veteran Golani officer. The commander was later removed from
his post.
In fact, the Netzah Yehuda battalion plays an important role in
maintaining tranquillity in its part of the Jordan Valley, having
conducted house-to-house searches in the northern Shomron and capturing
many wanted terrorists. Contrary to the media image of bumbling
Charedi soldiers, Nahal commanders are full of praise for the unit's
fighting capacities and their dedication to the state of Israel.
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