[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Last weekend the Charedi soldiers of the Nachal Chareidi Battalion engaged in an extensive and long winter military exercise in the Jordan Valley. The exercise, in which all soldiers of the battalion took part, lasted for 72 hours. During the exercise, the soldiers handled various scenarios, fought in open and built zones and their commanders were also tackled by surprise factors with which they had to deal with in a short period of time. The commanders of the battalion were highly satisfied with the exercise outcome and they defined it as ‘excellent’.

The Battalion exercise takes places twice a year: the current one in the winter and other in the middle of August during the summer. The goal of the exercise is to prevent fatigue among the Chareidi soldiers stationed in the Menashe zone. The exercise is part of a larger exercising series of the battalion which takes place these days and includes a few weeks of concentrated training.

Rabbi Yaron David of the Nachal Chareidi Foundation who escorted the soldiers during the exercise and also participated in the battalion prayer before entering the field noted that “the motivation of the soldiers was very high, especially when we are all having the sounds of war in the North at the background. The soldiers themselves complained that the exercise was too short, but nonetheless were happy to have been refreshed and trained on ground”.

An extended photo gallery is attached from the exercise.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Photos: Alumni of the Nachal Chareidi & IDP Spokesman’s Unit)