‘You can be religious and a warrior’: Israel declares first Orthodox battalion operational

The establishment of the Hasmonean Brigade is part of the IDF’s broader effort to expand enlistment of Haredi men amid personnel shortages and ongoing social debate.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Just over a year after its establishment, Israel’s first battalion for Orthodox (Haredi) soldiers was declared operational, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday.

The Yonatan Battalion, the first regular unit of the Hasmonean Brigade, completed its first-ever battalion-level drill in the Golan Heights.

According to the IDF, the exercise included “combat in open terrain, raids and urban warfare.”

The drill tested specialized skills tailored to the battalion’s framework, including sabotage, reconnaissance, drone operations, anti-aircraft weaponry, and sniper training. Soldiers in the battalion receive courses adapted to their religious lifestyle.

“We are in a historic period. We are raising God-fearing warriors, heroes, brave men and true men,” said Lt. Col. Rabbi A., commander of the Yonatan Battalion.

“People of high stature, heroes who walk as pioneers before the camp. We are creating a process of trust, and we are at the beginning of the process.”

Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan, commander of the IDF’s ground forces, told the soldiers:

“You are making history — the Hasmonaean Brigade continues to establish itself as a fighting ground brigade. This exercise and the establishment of the battalions are another significant step on the way to that. I am proud of you, the fighters and commanders of the brigade… You can be Haredi and be a warrior.”

The establishment of the Hasmonean Brigade is part of the IDF’s broader effort to expand enlistment of Haredi men, amid personnel shortages and ongoing social debate.

In early February, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir signed a landmark order establishing formal guidelines for integrating Haredi Jews into military service.

It marked the first time such arrangements were codified in an official General Staff order.

Integrating Haredi Jews into military life is one of Israel’s most politically sensitive issues, as the army faces manpower shortages.

Haredi military service has long been contentious in Israel, where most Haredi men have traditionally been exempt from the mandatory draft to pursue religious studies.

The issue has intensified since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on southern communities. Strained by two years of war and extended reserve duty, the army projects it will lack 17,000 soldiers starting in 2027, as troops who enlisted for shortened 30-month terms begin completing service.

The military began making plans to draft yeshiva students after Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that exemptions for the Haredi community were illegal.

Military service is compulsory for all Israeli citizens. However, Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, and the country’s leading rabbis agreed to a status quo that deferred military service for Haredi men studying in yeshivot, or religious institutions.

At the time, no more than several hundred men were studying in yeshivot.