Netzah Yehuda Battalion

The 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion (Hebrew: גדוד נצח יהודה, transl. 'Judah's Eternity Battalion'), previously known as Nahal Haredi (הנחל החרדי), is a battalion in the Kfir Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces. The purpose of the unit is to allow Haredi Jewish men to serve as combat soldiers in the Israeli military by creating an atmosphere conducive to their religious convictions, within a framework that is strictly observant of Halakha.[2] The Netzah Yehuda's primary area of operations is in the West Bank.

97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion
גדוד נצח יהודה
Combat pin of the 97th Netzah Yehuda
Active1999–present
Country Israel
TypeInfantry
SizeBattalion
Part ofKfir Brigade
Area of operationsJudea and Samaria (West Bank)
Nickname(s)Nahal Haredi (former name)
Motto(s)V'haya Machanecha Kadosh
(Devarim 23:15)
Websiteidf.il/kfir-brigade
Commanders
Current
commander		Lt. Col. Mati Shevach[1]

History and structure
Netzah Yehuda training exercise

The battalion was founded in 1999, and originally contained only 30 soldiers. It was started after about 18 months of discussions between a group of Haredi educators, led by Rabbi Yitzhak Bar-Chaim from Netzah Yehuda organization and the IDF.[3] As of 2009, the battalion had grown to over 1,000 soldiers, and has reached the status of a fully functioning battalion. The battalion recently marked its 20th draft.

The battalion runs like every combat unit in the IDF. Training in the battalion is that of IDF infantry: five months of basic training, followed by an additional six months of advanced training.

Today, at any given time, the battalion holds close to 1,000 soldiers, including two full companies in training, one company commencing active service, and two operation units: Palchod (Recon/ First Company) and Mesaiat (Rifleman Company). A third operational unit, Mivtzayit, was created in October 2009, due to the large number of soldiers joining the battalion in the most recent drafts. In the past, there was a small special forces platoon (Machsar) composed of soldiers from the battalion, but this was disbanded shortly after Lt. Colonel Dror Shpigel became commander of the battalion.

A volunteer all-Haredi computer unit has also been created within the Israeli Air Force. This, and the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, are seen as models for the possible future incorporation of Haredi conscripts into the IDF, should the present draft exemption for the ultra-Orthodox community be lifted.[4]

Among the men who have served in the unit is Sergeant Almog Shiloni.[5]

Religious accommodations

The battalion's motto is "V'haya Machanecha Kadosh", "And Your [military] camp shall be holy", (Devarim 23:15) a phrase taken from the Torah describing the importance of keeping a Jewish military camp free of sin or ritually unclean objects (in exchange for Divine assistance in battle).[6]

As the battalion places great emphasis on accommodating the religious needs of the soldiers, the Netzah Yehuda bases follow the most rigorous standards of Jewish dietary laws, and the only women permitted on these bases are wives of soldiers and officers, so that there would not be any interaction considered inappropriate according to Jewish religious law between men and women.

As the battalion runs on a voluntary basis and does not draft soldiers, it is one of the few units in the IDF which depends on a recruitment mechanism for new troops. It actively recruits soldiers from Haredi, Dati Leumi, and Chardal families; there are also many volunteers from overseas who enlist.

Combat

Until early December 2022 Netzah Yehuda was the only unit in the IDF which had been continuously stationed in the West Bank, initially in the Jordan Valley, and then the areas surrounding Jenin, Tulkarm, and Ramallah since the early 2000s, as all other units are frequently rotated between different areas. The IDF stated that the battalions planned move to the Golan Heights was not related to a series of controversial and violent incidents that occurred in 2022, including the death of Omar As’ad.[7]

The battalion lost its first casualty on August 19, 2006, when a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, shot and killed Staff Sergeant Roi Farjoun of Yehud at the Beka'ot Checkpoint east of Nablus. A nearby Netzah Yehuda soldier then opened fire, and killed the attacker.[8]

US investigation into conduct

The US State Department asked its embassy in Israel to produce a report on the battalion following allegations of abuse of Palestinians and the battalion involvement in the death of an 80-year-old Palestinian-American Omar As'ad in January 2022.[9][10][11][12] Following this incident the Israeli military said it would temporarily move the unit from the West Bank to the Golan Heights. The IDF said the decision "was made out of a desire to diversify their operational deployment in multiple areas, in addition to accumulating more operational experience" and was unrelated to the death of As'ad.[13] In late December 2022, the unit was transferred from the IDF Central Command to the Northern Command in preparation for an 11-month deployment in the Golan Heights. The base will operate under the arrangements of Haredi practice as before.[14]

See also

References
  1. "IDF Deputy Chief Lights Candles with Charedi Soldiers". baltimorejewishlife.com. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  2. Zitun, Yoav (17 December 2018). "A Haredi battalion in the eye of the storm". Ynetnews. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  3. "Nahal Haredi Comes of Age By Jonathan Rosenblum - Jewish Action - OU.ORG". www.ou.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27.
  4. Page 8 "Special Report on Judaism and the Jews", The Economist July 28th 2012
  5. Ben Porat, Ido (11 November 2014). "Almog Shiloni was a graduate of the first Platoon Commanders' Course of the Nahal Hareidi battalion". Aruts Sheva. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  6. "IDF's only ultra-Orthodox battalion sworn in". The Jerusalem Post | Jpost.com. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  7. "Religious unit with reputation of rights abuses to exit West Bank for first time". The Times of Israel.
  8. "St.-Sgt. Ro'i Farjoun". IDF. 19 August 2006. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  9. "U.S. Examining Allegations Against Israel's Orthodox West Bank Battalion". Haaretz.
  10. Staff, The New Arab (September 7, 2022). "US to investigate Israel Orthodox battalion after attacks". The New Arab.
  11. "The unexceptional violence of Israel's 'Haredi battalion'". +972 Magazine. February 28, 2022.
  12. "IDF soldier charged with causing car accident that killed Palestinian". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  13. Fabian, Emanuel (1 December 2022). "Religious unit with reputation for rights abuses to exit West Bank for the first time". Times of Israel. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  14. Harel, Amos (2023-01-02). "Violent ultra-Orthodox Battalion Moves to Golan Heights". Haaretz.
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