First reserve battalion in IDF’s Haredi Hasmonean Brigade declared operational

The IDF’s Hasmonean Brigade for ultra-Orthodox troops has declared its first reserve battalion operational, following a recent drill in the Golan Heights.

The brigade’s Shimon Reserve Battalion carried out its first-ever battalion-level exercise last week, completing its “official establishment and preparation for operational activity,” the military says.

The battalion is composed of soldiers who completed the Shlav Bet (Stage B) track, in which older people who previously received exemptions from service draft for the first time, as well as Haredi soldiers from other parts of the military.

“As part of their training, the recruits underwent full combat training adapted to the Haredi way of life at the Hasmonean training base, and the battalion will later also absorb graduates of the brigade’s standing army service track,” the IDF says.

In the coming months, the Shimon Battalion is expected to be called up for operations on the northern front, “according to operational needs,” the military adds.

The establishment of the brigade is part of the military’s efforts to expand the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men, as it faces personnel shortages caused by the war.

It also aims to demonstrate, despite opposition to enlistment from leading Haredi rabbis, that military service can go hand in hand with ultra-Orthodox observance.