IN THE MEDIA
1.20.2011 Nahal Haredi soldiers kill terrorist By Yaakov Katz
Terrorist killed near Mevo Dotan
Sami Samoudi, 23, yelled "Allahu Akbar" before opening fire at four soldiers near Mevo Dotan, reportedly to avenge a relative's death.
12/01/2011 PM: Theres a new haredi attitude toward the IDF By Herb Keinon
Netanyahu visits Nahal Haredi base to emphasize importance of haredi integration into army and then workforce.
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10/8/2010 Nahal Haredi : a positive revolution In Israeli society By Rabbi Hershel Billet
Ten years ago the term Nahal Haredi would have been an oxymoron. Nahal, a distinguished component of the Israel Defense Force that combines army service with a work-oriented ethic, and Haredim, a term often used to describe elements of Orthodox Jewish society that limit or avoid connection with the IDF, were contradictory concepts.
6/18/2010 Soldiers of God: My Time in Nahal Haredi by Samuel Sokol
As a new immigrant to Israel, I volunteered for a two-year stint in Nahal Haredi. During the course of my service I discovered just how different a truly Jewish unit is from the army you see in the movies.
5/13/2010 From NCSY to Nahal Haredi by Bayla Sheva Brenner
Josh Tresser, nineteen, of Cleveland, Ohio, had plans to graduate public high school, go off to college in Colorado and snowboard to his heart’s delight. Becoming a Torah-observant Jew and a soldier in the Israeli army was definitely not on his itinerary. As the saying goes, God laughed.
5/13/2010 Nahal Haredi Comes of Age by Jonathan Rosenblum
As our Jeep bounces violently through a valley somewhere in the Jordan Valley, we spot a group of about fifteen khaki-clad soldiers on a nearby hill. The soldiers have been stationed on the hill for the last five days while conducting various training exercises. We arrive just before the start of a live ammunition drill; this group must fire smoke bombs in the direction of some nearby hills, where a large number of troops are simulating the capture of an enemy stronghold.
12/1/09 First Haredi-Religious IDF Reserve Unit Reports for Duty
Source: Autz Sheva (Israelnationalnews.com)
The first Haredi-religious army reserve battalion reported for duty on Monday in Givat Ze'ev, next to Jerusalem.
11/25/2009 On its tenth anniversary, Nahal Haredi lauded by army brass By Samuel Sokol
Netzah Yehuda, the IDF's haredi battalion, celebrated its 10th anniversary this week with a celebration at Hebrew University's Mount Scopus campus. Current and former soldiers of the battalion attended, as did Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i.11/6/2009 Changing The System By Yair Hoffman
Source: Five Towns Jewish Times
Rabbi Tzvi klebanow, Executive Director of Nahal Haredi visited the US, and while in NY was interviewed by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the 5 Towns Jewish Times
10/20/2009 Shamni Uses Military Ceremony to call on Haredim to Serve By Yechiel Spira
Using the forum to express his opinion on a number of issues, outgoing IDF Central District Commander Major-General Gadi Shamni was full of praise for the soldiers of the Netzach Yehuda unit, known more commonly as Nachal Chareidi.
8/5/09 Second Nahal Haredi battalion being considered after best draft yet By Yaakov Katz
The IDF is considering creating a second Nahal Haredi battalion sometime in the next year after the unit enlisted an unprecedented number of combat soldiers on Wednesday.
12/23/08 Ashkenazi Lights Candles with Nahal Haredi
Israeli army chief Gabi Ashekenazi lit Hanukah candles with the Nahal Haredi battalion Tuesday evening.
5/21/2008 Haredi Nahal soldiers to serve in Jenin for first time By Yuval Azoulay
GOC Central Command Major General Gadi Shamni announced recently that soldiers in the ultra-Orthodox battalion of the Nahal infantry brigade, a branch of the Israel Defense Forces which combines military and voluntary civilian service, would soon begin defending the Jenin line. This is the first time soldiers in the battalion will engage in operational activities in this area. Since the battalion was created, nine years ago, its soldiers have served only in the Jordan Valley.
5/11/08 Prayer Under Fire By Hanan Greenberg
New military training evolves as Nahal Haredi battalion surveys Golan Heights, learns how to fight, guard while praying, eating glatt-kosher rationsPrayer under fire
4/6/2008 The IDF's first 'glatt kosher' commandos By Yaakov Katz
They are trained by the IDF's best instructors and are expert marksmen, scouts and urban warfare fighters. In contrast to their counterparts in the elite units belonging to the Golani or Paratrooper Brigades, these soldiers sport large black velvet yarmulkes and sidelocks, making up the first glatt kosher Sayeret - elite reconnaissance squad - in IDF history.
1/21/2008 Talmud Studies Credited for Sniper Excellence By Yaakov Katz
While members of the Nahal Haredi Battalion have decided to abandon the yeshiva benches in exchange for an M-16 rifle in the IDF, their past study of intricate Talmudic passages is assisting them today in turning into top-of-the-line combat soldiers.
12/26/2007 Survey: Over 90% of Nahal Haredi employed By Yaakov Katz
A survey conducted among graduates of the Nahal Haredi military track found that over 90 percent are currently working in a wide range of jobs in both the private and public sectors.11/15/2007 Campaign launched to boost recruitment to haredi army unit By Matthew Wagner
The grandson of Rabbi Pinchas Sheinberg, head of the Torah Or Yeshiva, one the most prestigious haredi yeshivas in Jerusalem, especially for Americans, was mentioned, as was the son of Telz Stone Chief Rabbi Aryeh Shulman. It happens that Shulman is also the son-in-law of Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin, former head of the Council of Sages of Agudat Yisrael. The son of Shas MK Haim Amsalem was also leaked.
10/11/2007 RUNING FOR MAYOR
In an extensive interview published recently in the Jerusalem Post, Deputy Mayor Yehoshua Pollack - who is sure to be a high profile candidate in next year's Jerusalem Mayoral race - expressed enthusiastic praise for Nahal Haredi and its soldiers. According to Pollack: "The Nahal Haredi unit is a real success. Of course, in our society nobody wants to admit it publicly, least of all in front of the secular, but I am telling you, it's a good solution".
08/01/2007 Nahal Haredi soldiers demand IDF reserve duty
Nahal Haredi soldiers demand IDF reserve duty By MATTHEW WAGNER A group of about 100 Nahal Haredi infantrymen who have completed their mandatory army service, unhappy that they have not yet been summoned for reserve duty, sent a letter to the IDF on Sunday demanding that they be called up immediately.7/18/2007 IDF frees fettered fawn
The IDF found "Bambi" during a late-night operation in the Jordan Valley on Wednesday night after troops from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion - also known as Nahal Haredi - found a fawn tied to a post next to a Beduin tent.
7/8/2007 Band of Brothers - TRANSLATED
Source: Yediot Acharonot
When Matanel, Tzurel and Zohar, soldiers in the Nahal Haredi call each other "achi" (brother), they aren't speaking in military lingo or soldier jargon, they mean it. Three brothers, from the Shilgi family of Kiryat Ata serve together in the same battalion.5/28/2007 Jericho Arrest
During an arrest operation in Jericho, a terrorist identified with the Tanzim terrorist organization opened fire on forces from the Nahal Haredi Battalion and Duvdivan special unit.
5/27/2007 Haredi soldier: Those who dont study must fight By Hanan Greenberg
The haredi Nahal regiment marked the recruitment of its 2,000th soldier on Sunday. The new recruit, Itamar Grilus (18) from the strictly Orthodox Givat Shaul neighborhood in Jerusalem, told Ynet, “I think that the best way to defend the land of Israel is by studying Torah, but if one is unable to sit and study all day, he should physically defend Israel.”
5/26/2007 Nahal Haredi drafts 2,000th soldier BY Yaakov Katz
The IDF's Netzah Yehuda Battalion, also known as Nahal Haredi, will make history on Sunday when it celebrates its 20th consecutive military draft and enlists its 2,000th draftee - Itamar Grilus, an 18-year-old haredi from Jerusalem.
04/27/2007 Nahal Haredi: Unorthodox battalion seeks to change Orthodox image
Source: Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
In Israel, where service in the armed forces is every man's -- and most women's -- duty, the majority of Israelis, from secular to Modern Orthodox, have long scorned the ultra-Orthodox "black hats" for avoiding military service by studying in yeshivas.
4/22/2007 Another achievement for the Nahal Haredi
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.
4/22/2007 This time we will stand at attention
This Yom Hazikaron will have a completely new meaning for soldiers of Nahal Haredi (Netzach Yehuda Battalion). This time, death came knocking at their door. A close friend, a soldier, Staff Sergeant Roi Ferjon was killed at a checkpoint in the Jordan Valley, and became the first battalion casualty. “The Haredi alternative to standing at attention when the sirens sound is reciting chapters of Tehilim". "This time we will do both”, a soldier from the battalion said.
4/8/2007 Haredi and in the Military
Source: Yediot Acharonot
Although eight years have passed since the establishment of the Netzach Yehuda battalion known as the Nahal Haredi, Noam (22) and his wife Rivka (24) prefer to remain anonymous and not divulge their identities on the pages of a newspaper. In the Haredi town of Kfar Chabad where Rivka and Noam live, almost everyone knows that Noam serves as a soldier in the Nahal Haredi; but the young couple prefers to "play it safe" and avoid any publicity that might – G-d forbid- hurt their siblings' chances for a good shidduch (match).
3/12/2007 Nahal Haredi recruits US, European youth
Nahal Haredi plans to launch an advertising campaign in Jewish newspapers in the United States and Europe in coming weeks to attract new recruits.
3/8/2007 Ceremonial Hair Cutting Held in the Nahal Haredi Base
translated"An entire battalion was "mobilized" for a momentous and unusual mission as all hands pitched in to prepare for a "hair cutting ceremony" (Opsherin) at the Jordan Valley base of Nahal Haredi.
1/17/2007 Nahal Haredi prepares soldiers for civilian work By Anshel Pfeffer
The Netzah Yehuda Battalion, better known as Nahal Haredi, is probably the IDF's most unique unit. All of its soldiers come from religious homes, the great majority of them from the haredi community. Now it is becoming the first unit to help its soldiers finish their service with a civilian job already waiting for them.
1/16/2007 From grappling with Talmud in Chicago to fighting terrorists By Yaakov Katz
Eliyahu Joselit never thought he'd be where he is today, especially considering his background: a haredi Jew from the west side of Chicago, where he attended Hebrew day schools and yeshivas and spent most of his time grappling with a daily page of Talmud.
12/28/06 "New US olim arrive with army on their minds" By SHEERA CLAIRE FRENKEL
On the flight to Israel, Cooper was joined by 21 other olim who plan to join the IDF within the coming months, and one oleh, Eliyahu Joselit, who has already served two- and-a-half years.
12/28/06 "The IDF gave me so much; I want to give something back" By Rony Shapiro
Source: IDF - Official Website
Of the 21 thousand Jews who immigrated to Israel this year alone, one sticks out in particular. He is already a fluent Hebrew speaker, and has already explored the fields of Israel and has become familiar with Israel's geography. This new immigrant is Staff Sergeant Eliyahu Juslit, who has been serving in Kfir Brigade's Nahal Haredi Battalion for almost two years. Eliyahu officially made Aliyah today, and finally feels what it is like to be a true Israeli soldier in the Israel Defense Forces.
10/29/2006 JPOST - Nahal Haredi troops fired shots killing a terrorist in the village of Al-Farra
In a separate incident in the village of al-Farra northwest of Nablus, troops from a Nahal Haredi unit fired shots at locals brandishing handguns and axes. One gunman was killed, and a man with an axe was shot in the lower portion of his body.
The wounded Palestinian was treated on the scene by soldiers and evacuated to an Israeli hospital, where he will be treated and then handed over to security officials for interrogation, military sources said.
10/5/2006 Opposition Leader Binyamin Netanyahu Joins Nahal Haredi's Founders Mission for breakfast
Opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu questioned the future of Diaspora Jewry in a closed-door meeting with American contributors to the IDF's Nahal haredi program on Thursday morning.
7/17/2006 Nahal Haredi soldiers in Lebanon
Source: Bamahaneh (IDF News Source - translated)
The Bamahaneh team spent days with the fighting troops on the northern front
– Armored Battalion 82, the Druze Harb Battalion, Nahal Battalion 50, and the Nahal Haredi Battalion –
and accompanied their fighters, under constant bombardment, in the operation to retrieve the bodies of their comrades, and in preparation for days of conflict.
Yarden Ben-Zur
Jerusalem Post: Terror suspect arrested in Bethlehem By Yaakov Katz 7/5/2006
People often ask us "Do Nahal Haredi soldiers have any military interaction with other units?"
Early this morning in the Ein Sultan refugee camp near the historical town of Jericho, forces of the Nahal Haredi battalion in a joint action with a Police SWAT Team killed a wanted terrorist in a Search and Take-Out mission. The Jerusalem Post covered the breaking story in the following article.
INN: An Israeli Soldier's Story by Fred Taub 6/6/2006
His nickname is "Itchy", which some people may guess he received after leaving home in Cleveland, Ohio, to join the Israel Defense Forces.
Perhaps because of a proverbial "itchy trigger finger" many people think all soldiers have, but it has actually been Ya'akov's nickname all his life, and his IDF service exemplifies the professionalism he and his fellow soldiers exhibit.
YNET: Soldiers from the Nahal Haredi Battalion Packing Pesach Packages (translated) 30/3/2006
Source: YNET (Yediot Aharonot)
This week, soldiers from the “Netzah Yehuda” battalion of the Nahal Haredi packed about 4,500 parcels of Pesach products, to be distributed to soldiers who receive supplementary family payments and those who live in apartments maintained by the “Soldiers’ Welfare Association” around the country.
Jerusalem Post: IDF kills Jihad fugitive near Jericho, Yaakov Katz and JPost.com 3/22/2006
An Islamic Jihad operative was shot dead early Wednesday morning by IDF troops operating in the Akhbar Jaba refugee camp near Jericho.
During the operation, Nahal Haredi forces surrounded three buildings in the refugee camp, in which, according to intelligence sources, three Islamic Jihad fugitives were hiding.
INN: Nahal Haredi soldiers capture 4 wanted terrorists in Hevron 2/3/2006
Source: Israel National News (Arutz 7)
IDF soldiers involved in counter-terrorism operations throughout Judea and Samaria during the night arrested four suspected terrorists.
Yediot Aharonot: From the Tents of Torah to the Officers Quarters By Yossi Yehoshua (translated) 2/24/2006
The top cadet in the Officers’ Course: A Nahal Haredi soldier from Bnei Brak, the son of a Rosh Yeshiva
Second Lieutenant Zvi Ozeri (24) was already studying in a prestigious yeshiva before deciding to enlist * After the Chief of Staff awarded him his insignia of rank, he celebrated with a rabbi * But, on the way home, he couldn’t miss out on his regular stopover at Beit Hachayal in Tel Aviv, where he went in as an officer in uniform, and came out in a black suit, more suitable for his own neighborhood
