The Nachal Chareidi is awarded for excellence once more. For the very first time in the history of Nachal Chareidi Reserve battalion, its soldiers were notified in the recent days that their battalion will be given the presidential award for the year 2014, only five years since it was founded. Thus the battalion will become the youngest among the combatant battalions to ever receive the award. The award will be given on June 15th at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.

After the regular service Nachal Chareidi battalion was granted the IDF Chief of Staff Award only half a year ago, and after receiving three other military awards, the Chareidi reserve battalion soldiers were informed in the recent days that they are to be given the Presidential Award for excellence for 2014. The decision to give the award follows the recommendation of the division commanders to the appointed committee chaired by the vice chief of the staff. The committee chose to award the Nachal Chareidi battalion together with 14 other units. The Reserve battalion however is one of three infantry battalions who were given the award this year. The battalion went through a thorough review, which was concluded by the committee members’ impression of solidarity and decisiveness among its chareidi soldiers. The committee was also impressed by success of the chareidi soldiers to maintain their observant life style without any compromise.

The Nachal Chareidi Reserve battalion is comprised of 500 soldiers. Its regular service battalion was founded in 1999. During 2012 the battalion was stationed in Jenin in operational employment, and in 2013 it participated in an extensive training.

The Nachal Chareidi Foundation, which is one of the founders of the battalion and accommodates the soldiers throughout their service, stated with much satisfaction that “the award reflects the acknowledgement and gratitude of IDF for the quality, seriousness and excellence of the battalion, along with its manpower quality that characterizes it. Even old experienced battalions were not given the award so easily, and that’s why it is a great honor for the battalion, which was first nominee for it as well”.

The Foundation adds that “in days were the public agenda deals with the forced recruitment of yeshiva students, the Nachal Chareidi gives evidence that its essential spirit aspires to achieve the maximum in terms of the religious obligations and operational and solidarity wise. This spirit escorts the chareidi soldiers years after they leave the regular service”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)