First Haredi Pre-Army Prep Course Opens

The course, named Nerot Le'Ha'ir, kicked off its first school year on Sunday. The participants will all enlist to the Nahal Haredi Brigade in another year and a half. Their curriculum includes workout sessions, kung-fu, survival training, membership to a country club (during gender-segregated swimming hours, of course), and a rappelling course. In addition, the students will regularly attend lessons in hasidism and will be taught daily lessons from a hasidic teacher.

1st haredi pre-military prep course underway
On the agenda: Workouts, target practice and rappelling, as well as Torah, Hasidism classes
Akiva Novick • Ynet

Pre-military preparatory courses have been part and parcel with the IDF experience for some time now, so much so that various options have sprung up over the years. A young person facing enlistment can choose from a religious, secular, or Druze preparatory course. There is even a prep course for religious girls. This year, another pre-military preparatory course joins the 36 that already exist – a haredi preparatory course.
 
"This is a course tailored for haredi boys leaving their frameworks and who want to enlist in any case," said the head of the prep course, Rabbi Moshik Ben-Or. "The whole summer we advertised and built a lobby of rabbis to support the course. Until now, 15 people have already signed up. In my estimation, there is enormous potential for high levels of haredi participants."
 
The course, named Nerot Le'Ha'ir, kicked off its first school year on Sunday. The participants will all enlist to the Nahal Haredi Brigade in another year and a half. Their curriculum includes workout sessions, kung-fu, survival training, membership to a country club (during gender-segregated swimming hours, of course), and a rappelling course. In addition, the students will regularly attend lessons in Hasidism and will be taught daily lessons from a Hasidic teacher.
 
Ben-Or said, "The military put together a plan for us with lessons in combat legacy, tours of factories and universities. We will also bring them together with haredim who have integrated into the upper echelons of the State in order to direct them towards leadership positions. We give them freedom. They can even wear jeans if they want. Only on Shabbat are they required to wear a suit and hat, just like there are dress uniforms in the military."

In the haredi world, where enlistment into the military is almost completely shunned, such a course is a real breakthrough.

"This is another aspect of the change the haredi public is undergoing," explained David Zoldan, one of the first soldiers in Nahal Haredi.
 
"In general, the haredi public is changing. Ten years ago, such a thing wouldn't work. Except for the Eda Haharedit, which opposes everything, it won't cause a real earthquake. The Lithuanian community won't oppose it, just like it isn't opposed to enlisting into the Air Force or Nahal Haredi, but it will never oppose it publicly. There is no doubt that this is another step on the way to more inclusive enlistment.

"If this rate continues, there will be a very professional haredi brigade in another 10 years, God willing."
 
The preparatory course's leaders hope to attract more and more students, and thereby help solve the problem of haredi youth who drop out of their study frameworks, a growing phenomenon in the haredi world.

Comments

[A. Nuran]

Good. This will make it easier for haredim to prepare for a world unlike the one they're used to. Anything which helps them deal with the culture shock and get on with the job at hand will increase their chances of a successful tour of duty.

[harold]

membership to a country club

Sounds nice to seculars, but they are looking for trouble with the rabayim on this one.

[David]

The military put together a plan for us with lessons in combat legacy, tours of factories and universities.

Wow.

Tour factories and see people WORKING?
Tour universities and see people being EDUCATED?

Will they be able to handle this?

Hopefully it may even cause a few of them to do a reality check and start questioning their cult lifestyle.

[jay]

Harold, they claim to have support from Rabbonim already.

[Nobody]

I thought this site and its lemming followers claim that no religious Jews or haredi serve in the army? So what would be the purpose of a program like this if none of these Jews will serve in the army? Oh. They will be serving in the army.

[chaim1]

It wont work. Those who sign up are most likely drop outs from the yeshivot who are not interested in studying anyway and certainly not suitable for 'leadership positions'.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Nobody: No one here claimed that National Religious didn't serve, or even Chardal Jews.

[A. Nuran]

Nobody, people don't say that. There have always been a few. What angers us is that they all get a free pass and very few volunteer.

And chaim1, why would being willing to spend one's entire life regurgitating dogma be a prerequisite for leadership. If anything it would be just the opposite.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

but why does the army teach hassidut? with a hassidic teacher? aren't they jews?

[Moshe aron kestenbaum, Williamsburg ODA]

Never again: stop THE Zionim now. This is the nature of the zioniM they want to cause problems with the charidem, Its bull shit they dont want a belzer or a ger or a satmar in the army. They want to cause trouble only this is how they were always , with the yemenite jews it was the same, they forced an entire generation to become secular in the 50's . Never again

[heychey]

Love one another, treat each other how you would like to be treated. If the religious leaders are dictating gov policy, then put the religious leaders children into the army so they can be an example of how we are to live. Otherwise it becomes hypocritical to say one thing and to do another. Are the religious leaders exempt from suffering, or are they creating suffering for those who serve their interests. Treat others how God ask you to treat them.

[ah-pee-chorus]

+++This is the nature of the zioniM they want to cause problems with the charidem+++

Yes, they should just provide for the haredim's every need from utilities, roads, garbage pick-up, school subsidies,welfare, police, etc...while the children of the zionim risk their lives and sometimes die in defense of israel and the haredim act like good parasites offering nothing in return.

[chabib]

They will be in Tzvios Hashem.

[state of disgust]

They should take these boys and put them in the Israeli navy where they can teach them how to tie knots. That way when they finish their service they can get a job tying tsizis