Shaping the Future of the State of Israel

I am currently in the United States on a fundraising mission to support the continued integration of Haredim in the IDF. At every meeting, in every community and every synagogue, I rediscover how deep the commitment of Diaspora Jewry is to the resilience of the State of Israel and to those who carry on their backs the mission of defending the people and the land. But more than anything, I discover how meaningful to them is the unique story of the Haredi fighters who chose to combine loyalty to tradition with a full commitment to military service, while taking part in the defense of the State of Israel.

The Haredi battalions, Netzach Yehuda and now the Hashmonaim, alongside the Haredi companies, were established to enable young men from Haredi society to serve in the IDF under conditions adapted to their way of life.

During the Swords of Iron war, we saw their strength, their spirit, and the uncompromising commitment of those Haredi young men to defend the state. Many of them have been in the field for long months, moving between sectors, facing both physical and spiritual challenges, and continuing to stand guard out of a deep sense of mission.

One young man who walks with me and is etched in my heart forever is Betzalel, a former student in the Haredi pre-military academies we established. Betzalel came to me as an energetic young man seeking preparation for combat service in the Netzach Yehuda Battalion. At first glance I saw a thin young man, not someone who would become a fighter, but when I saw his passion, my partner Rabbi Reis and I decided to integrate him into the Haredi combat hesder yeshiva “BeTzavta.”

Beloved Betzalel transformed from a boy into a fighter. And that was not all. He went on to a combat command role in the Netzach Yehuda Battalion, and from there he was selected to go to officers’ course. On the night before his departure for the coveted course, the Netzach Yehuda Battalion, which had suffered heavy losses in the war, continued to fight and strike Hamas terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip. Betzalel was there as a commander, and he did not return from that battle. Betzalel, of blessed memory, and all the heroes who fell, are the compass of our work in integrating Haredim into the IDF.

My meetings in the United States strengthen my understanding that support for Haredi soldiers is not only a financial contribution. It is a declaration. A declaration of connection between communities, of shared responsibility, and of faith in a shared future for one people living on two continents.

By all accounts: the enlistment of Haredim into the IDF is the most critical mission in Israel today.

At the Netzach Yehuda Association, in partnership with the Ministry of Defense and the IDF, we establish Haredi tracks and provide the 4,000 Haredi soldiers with a supportive framework of personal mentoring, professional training, mental health treatment for hundreds of soldiers, assistance to families, and support throughout their intensive service. We operate a nationwide housing network for hundreds of lone soldiers from Haredi homes — parents who chose to ostracize their child because of his enlistment in the IDF. We establish and run 11 pre-military academies and Haredi hesder yeshivot for 450 Haredi young men preparing for the army, and we accompany 24,000 graduates (reservists) toward an excellent civilian life — higher education, employment, and building a family. These are vital needs for the resilience of a society that seeks to integrate its sons into the defense effort.

But the story is even bigger than the present. In the coming decade, Israeli society is expected to face complex challenges such as social gaps, tensions between sectors, and questions regarding the identity of the state and unfortunately, even wars with the many enemies of our small land. It is precisely for this reason that integrating Haredi young men into meaningful service is a first-rate strategic move. It creates connection, brings worlds together, and proves that when the right opportunity is given, true partners in the journey are born, creating genuine unity within the people of Israel.

In a few days I will return to Israel with a deep sense of responsibility to continue building the delicate and essential bridge between Jerusalem and the Diaspora, between the army and civilian society. A bridge of brotherhood and of action for a shared future.

Immediately upon my return to Israel, I will once again put on the uniform for the sixth time since October 7, and together with my soldiers, serving proudly as a Haredi battalion commander, we will set out on a mission to defend the State of Israel from the Tulkarm refugee camp. Each of us has already volunteered hundreds of days for reserve service, leaving behind our families, our work, and our comfort zone in order to defend the home of the Jewish people. Two thousand years of exile have come to an end. Now our destiny is in our hands.