In the spring of 2013, 30 graduates of the nation’s first chareidi mechina will be entering the IDF. The yeshiva, which prefers to refer to itself as המדרשה למנהיגות תורנית, has been operating, albeit under the media radar, realizing the mixed reactions a chareidi IDF prepatory institution is going to generate. The yeshiva stresses it is serving but chareidim who wish to enter the IDF, not troubled youths or any other branch of shomer shabbos Jewry other than chareidim who do not wish to learn fulltime.

The IDF is aware of the yeshiva and it has been closely monitoring its progress, viewing the new institution as an experiment with significant potential.

These are standard chareidim who view black and white as their preferred dress code yet they don’t wish to learn fulltime. One of them, 17-year-old Yoni Karniel from Gadera explains “we are pioneers”. He stated “today, it is clear the experiment was a success. The yeshiva is the only place in Israel that a chareidi male wishing to remain frum, in his community and with the same lifestyle, can find his place, a place of kovod for those who are serious about being chareidi but not wishing to remain in yeshiva fulltime.”

18-year-old David Tzanani from Kfar Saba adds “As a child, I never thought I would serve. At some point I realized I cannot learn fulltime. I did not wish to work illegally. I wanted to remain chareidi. Up until now, there was no place for me but now it is different.” Prior to the mechina David learned in Yeshivas Ohr Gaon, obtaining a draft deferment like the others in his yeshiva. “The Torah world in Eretz Yisrael also began with just 400 talmidim” he explains, optimistic regarding the mechina’s future. “Nachal Chareidi began with 30 soldiers. It’s a process and this is the beginning of a very big process,” he explains.

16.5-year-old Gavriel from France adds it was not easy and it still isn’t. He explained not all of them passed the tests as they wished, and he was asked a simple math division problem which he was unable to answer. Now, with two units towards his matriculation [bagrut] diploma, the math challenge is behind him and he is confident he will continue moving ahead.

The project is being run by the נתיבים של אור non-profit, which means ‘Paths of Light’. Hundreds of candidates were tested and they selected 30 for the pilot program. Most of them do not plan to enter Nachal Chareidi, but they are headed for the Intelligence Corps.

One of the Roshei Yeshiva, Rabbi Nir David explains that he hopes that in addition to serving, he hopes the young men will acquire a profession that will assist them in their lives after their IDF service. David explains that they will enter units in groups of a minimum of 10, accompanied by a spiritual mentor, one who will be responsible for that aspect of their service. They will return to yeshiva every night for night seder during their service.

At the heads of the mechina are Rav Reuven Meir and Rav Nir David, who grew up dati leumi and moved over to the right. Meir, a veteran educator who sports a long white beard explains “At the end of the 1990s we were aware there is a group of young men who are not seeking to declare fulltime Torah study as their profession and that led to the establishment of Nachal Chareidi”.

Yeshiva Director Rami Lieber explains while they had many promises and commitments from state officials, “nothing has happened”. Lieber also serves as a Lt.-Colonel in the reserves. “We met with the minister of welfare, who loved the concept, promising he would do a lot to assist towards making this a national project, but to date, this has not occurred. The Defense Ministry did not assist at all and Minister of Religious Services Yaakov Margi and Deputy Minister of Education Eliezer Moses and an aide to Interior Minister Eli Yishai met with us as well. Lots of unfulfilled promises. We are dealing with young men from their communities and we are saving them so what can be more painful?”

The city in which the yeshiva is located is far from friendly, trying to oust them from the building to give it to a girl’s school. Lieber explains that part of the problem is the Defense Ministry does not recognize the yeshiva as an official mechina, adding “the hesder yeshivot don’t know what to do with us either”. In the case of the city hall, they simply appear to want to put chareidim in their place.

Lieber adds that officials in the IDF Personnel Branch are fans, and they are assisting, as well as Education Ministry officials, with the latter trying to obtain government funding.

Lieber adds the program is ideal for the military, as the current Shachar soldiers in the air force are married, and they are more costly to the military, almost 5,000 NIS monthly. In addition, they serve for only two years. The mechina talmidim cost the same as other soldiers and they are committed to a full three-year service. He believes that as many as 50-80% of yeshiva students do not see their place in a fulltime learning environment and as a result, they learn for half a day and then the trouble begins. He feels the half of the day that is not spent learning should be dedicated to learning a profession. Lieber states the facts may be painful, but they are nonetheless correct.

The rabbonim feel that those sitting and learning must remain in beis medrash, explaining they are not trying to persuade anyone to abandon Torah study. They stress this mechina is not for the ‘troubled youth’. This yeshiva seeks good boys who wish to continue being chareidi but are not prepared to commit to fulltime learning. Lieber feels the fulltime learners amount to 15-20% of the chareidi tzibur, no more.

He views the mechina as the ‘tunnel’ in which they are transformed from the talmid in beis medrash to a young man ready for the Bakum Induction Center for making the transition is not so easy. Lieber describes a talmid who sits and learns and lives in a bubble, aware he will be given a shidduch and live is good. “Taking someone like this directly to Bakum is problematic” and that is why the program has been created. He feels there must be many mechina programs exclusively for the chareidi tzibur to give talmidim the tools to enter the IDF as well as maintaining their frum chareidi lifestyle.

Lieber explains that many chareidi rabbonim support their efforts, but no one is ready to put that support on paper in the form of a signature. David Tzanani explains that now, he learns seriously for at least a half day and instead of just “passing time” for the remainder, he is now involved in a productive program which he feels offers him the best of both worlds.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)