4/22/2007 Another achievement for the Nahal Haredi
Another achievement for the Nahal Haredi:
By Chanan Greenberg Translated
Tzvi Ozeri receives commendation for excellence from the Chief of Staff.
First lieutenant Tzvi Ozeri, a platoon commander in the Nahal Haredi battalion is one of the outstanding soldiers who received a commendation from the chief of staff in honor of Yom Ha'atzmaut. In an interview with Ynet, Ozeri talks about the unique challenges of being a soldier in the battalion, and his dreams of a career in the IDF.
Excellence is no stranger to Tzvi Ozeri. He finished the basic commanding course with honors; took home a mark of commendation for his effort in officer training, and now he strikes again: a commendation from Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi on Yom Ha'atzmaut. “Why was I chosen? I don't know, you have to ask the people who chose me. I was only doing my job”, he said in a conversation with Ynet.
First lieutenant Ozeri (25) from B'nei Brak recently finished commanding a platoon of trainees from the Nahal Haredi battalion. When his assignment ended, Ozeri chose to resume his command instead of seeking a promotion to the less demanding position of Company Lieutenant. He now commands one of the battalion’s operational platoons but no matter where Ozeri finds himself, it seems he is never content with second best.
In a ceremony on the Glilot military facility, Ozeri received a certificate from Chief of Staff Ashkenazi. "It is challenging to serve in the Nahal Haredi battalion", Ashkenazi explains. "It is true that sometimes the soldiers here have unique problems that you won't find anywhere else, the trick is to deal with them correctly and in a way that will serve to be an inspiration for all. We take every one of our soldiers’ problems seriously, we invest time in our solutions and it shows".
The Commanding Officer's Wedding and his Soldiers
Ozeri, who was recently married, debated whether it was appropriate to invite his soldiers to the wedding. After much deliberation, he decided that the right thing to do is to invite them. "There was a beautiful atmosphere at the wedding, and it only served to enhance my relationship with my soldiers".
According to Ozeri, the fact that the battalion is Haredi, does not affect the quality of training or tactical duties in any way. “You would think that all the ‘religious stuff’ would take a lot out of the day but actually, we only spend about an hour and a half davening and doing other ‘religious things’. We are able to integrate everything very well, and are sometimes even more advanced than other units in our training regiment”.
Ozeri, who started off his service in the ordnance corps, quickly found his way to Nahal Haredi. From the moment he got there, there was no stopping him. “I know that I’m serving in the military because it’s the law, however I love it here. I love my soldiers, love the battalion, and love what I’m doing”. He plans to make a career out of his military service, and he plans to keep move of the ranks within the battalion and possibly, even to command it one day. “It’s too early to talk about such things” he humbly comments, “of course anything is possible".
Rabbi Tzvi Klebanow, Executive Director of Netzach Yehuda – the non-profit organization that supports the activities of the Nahal Haredi battalion - believes that Ozeri’s success is indicative of the battalion’s success. “The chief of staff’s recognition of Tzvi Ozeri's excellence is recognition of the entire battalion’s excellence and proves that you can be both Haredi and a top-notch soldier without one compromising the other”.
