IDF chief hails first-ever officers from IDF’s Hasmonean Brigade for Haredi troops

The first-ever cadets in the IDF’s Hasmonean Brigade for ultra-Orthodox soldiers complete their officers’ course today.

In total, 15 cadets complete the eight-month training course, and at a ceremony this evening near the Western Wall in Jerusalem, they will be qualified as officers and receive their ranks.

The cadets include soldiers who began their service in the Hasmonean Brigade and rose through the ranks, as well as Haredi troops from other units who joined the brigade to serve as squad commanders.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir meets with the cadets today, telling them they are “making history and breaking new ground.”

“You are leaders fulfilling a great vision of the entire Jewish people. I see the Haredi community as an inseparable part of Israeli society,” Zamir says, according to remarks provided by the military.

“You are already integrated into operational activities, and you will be able to be deployed for any mission, on defense and offense,” the IDF chief tells the cadets. “Your success is important to the IDF and the entire people of Israel.”

The military says the officers’ course took place in accordance with the IDF’s protocols on integrating members of the Haredi community into the army, “while accommodating their lifestyle.” This included strict kosher food standards, designated study and prayer times, and a gender-segregated environment.

The course still included all the content normally delivered at the Bahad 1 officers’ school.

The next officers’ course for soldiers in the Hasmonean Brigade is set to begin in November.

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.