After seeing the successes in the IDF’s Shachar and Nachal Chareidi programs, the IDF Navy, the most secular branch of the Israeli military, is now seeking to establish a chareidi unit.
The navy a number of years ago began a program that provided an opening for hesder talmidim, with strict guidelines compelling a minimum of two soldiers assigned to each vessel to prevent a frum soldier finding himself alone in such a difficult environment. That program still continues today.
Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) reports that the navy is working to attract a small number of chareidim amid the realization that chareidim in this branch of the military would be welcome since there are none today. The navy believes chareidim could serve on Devorah patrol boats as the hesder talmidim are doing today.
With the navy being a relatively small branch of the military, officials are willing to launch the program if they get 10 chareidi volunteers, stressing they do not require large numbers as is the case today with Nachal Chareidi.
A senior naval officer told Galei Tzahal that the service is about to receive four new vessels and they hope to integrate men and women on those vessels, another navy first.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Keep the ladies off & maybe the Charedim will join.
While I am certainly a proponent of charedim serving in the IDF, I am not sure that this is a good idea. IDF navy vessels and units tend to be very small, few of the officers and relatively few of the soldiers are religious and the navy does not yet have the accumulated institutional experience with accommodating religious needs that the ground forces (the ‘green army’) has acquired. Hesder and Mechina boys are better suited to successfully meet the difficulties that arise from these issues and they are paving the way. But at this time the navy might prove a poor fit for charedim, unless the idea is for them to serve together in the technical support units at the ports which might work.
I agree with Yagel Libi. In its present incarnation, the Navy is ill-suited for religious boys. Too much is dependent upon the good-will of the secular boys on the boats. If they are respectful and tolerant, then the frum boys can coexist peacefully. If they are selfish or prejudiced, however, they will continuously “trayf” up the kitchen, despite the Navy’s best intentions that it not happen. However, if the navy would consider a boat consisting of only religious boys, as impractical as it sounds, then the navy is an excellent place to serve. BTW, the naval training base at Haifa has Mehadrin food available and many Chareidim serve there (and in Ashdod) in non-combat roles, most going home every day.