The IDF is pushing forward with plans to establish a new Chareidi infantry brigade, despite ongoing protests and heated debates around the military service exemption bill for yeshivaleit.

The brigade’s first group of recruits is set to begin training this December at a newly renovated facility in the Jordan Valley, according to a report by Yisrael Hayom.

The Tavetz training base is undergoing a $46 million overhaul to accommodate religious soldiers, with upgrades including four new shuls and specially designed infrastructure to support religious observance. The facility will host the initial wave of Charedi recruits who will join a standard infantry brigade. The project is led by Col. Avinoam Emunah under the command of Maj. Gen. David Zini, head of the IDF Training Command.

The brigade aims to have its first battalion combat-ready by November 2025, joining Israel’s existing religious military units. This new brigade, the first infantry unit built from the ground up since the 1980s, will operate as a self-sufficient entity, with a full leadership team in place, including a battalion commander, company and platoon commanders, and human resources officers.

In parallel, the military is forming a Charedi Border Police unit and an Air Force maintenance division tailored to their needs.

The IDF set an ambitious target for this recruitment year, aiming for 4,800 Charedi recruits, a substantial increase from the 1,800 enlisted last year. However, results has been mixed: while draft notices were sent to approximately 3,000 Charedi men, fewer than 10% have shown up at recruitment offices.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)