With chareidi demonstrations against recruitment across Israel at the background, the Nachal Chareidi Battalion was newly stationed last week in the Binyamin district of Shomron, where many of the chareidi families of the soldiers in the battalion reside.

This ends a 5 year period where the battalion acted in the Menashe District situated around Jenin and Tulkarem. Over that period the battalion was granted numerous awards, with the Chief of General Staff’s Award prominently standing out. Rabbi David Fuchs of the Nachal Chareidi Foundation: “The preparations for the soldiers and the adaptation of the bases to the special Chareidi service conditions was completed to satisfaction of all, so that the move will not comprise the unique service conditions of these Chareidi soldiers in their new zone”.

The chareidi soldiers will now serve north of Jerusalem in the Ramallah region, and will protect the northern neighborhoods of the city, many of which are Chareidi, such as Ramat Shlomo and N’vei Yaakov, and also like Bet El, Kochav Yaakov, Ofra, Geva Binyamin and more. As part of its regular routine the battalion, part of the “Kfir” brigade, guarded settlements and apprehended terrorists, an activity it will continue to pursue in its home. Having said that, the estimation is that the battalion will deal mainly with riots in the framework of its activity in the new zone, alongside conducting detentions which will keep taking place in cooperation with special units.

As part of the move of the Chareidi battalion to its new zone, IDF has made a series of special preparations in the different bases where the soldiers will be posted such as two bases in Bet El, Psagot and Ofra. Among the rest, the synagogues’ bases that were set to serve in the past only few dozen soldiers but now they were expanded and renovated so they could accommodate hundreds. In addition, adaptations and renovations were also carried out in the kitchens so they meet the kashrut demands of the Chareidi soldiers.

The Chareidi Nachal, considered the most combatant battalion in Israeli army, recently celebrated 15 years to its foundation. Until 2008, the Chareidi battalion served in the Jordan Valley. By the end of that year, the battalion moved to the “Menashe” zone, in the environs of Jenin and Tulkarem. During that period, it was given a series of impressive awards, including among the rest the Israeli president’s Award for excellence to the year of 2014, the Chief of General Staff’s Award for the excelling unit, the Head of Technological and Logistics Directorate’s Award for exceptional logistical preparation of the battalion and General Officer Commanding Army headquarters’ Award in 2013 and the Yehuda & Shomron Division’s excellence Award in 2012.

The Nachal Chareidi Foundation noted that “the move expresses gratitude and a vote of confidence in the chareidi soldiers of the battalion, a thing demonstrated also in the extensive preparations that army went through in order to ready the new bases for the soldiers in the Binyamin zone. The Chareidi Nachal Battalion continues to prove that when the army is considerate towards the chareidi lifestyle and manufactures the appropriate conditions, they too will attain high achievements and will successfully cope with every task. Moreover, the grand excitement among the soldiers, as well as the motivation to protect an area directly affecting the security of their families and home towns is well felt in our conversations with them. We wish them much success”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)