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Monday, April 20, 2026
IDF Haredi brigade set to hold Memorial Day ceremony, mark Independence Day, contrary to TV report
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Despite a Channel 13 report to the contrary, the IDF’s ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade will hold a Memorial Day ceremony and celebrate Independence Day this week, according to the IDF and a source close to brigade co-founder Rabbi David Leybel.
This morning, Channel 13 reported that the unit’s troops would not participate in such events in an effort to prevent their exposure to Zionist content, which could be unsuitable for a Haredi audience. The report added that two soldiers who are set to receive a decoration from the president would not attend the ceremony in order to avoid hearing women singing.
While a spokesman for the president’s office did not respond to a request for comment, an associate of Rabbi Leybel tells The Times of Israel that the brigade would hold its own ceremony where troops would sing “songs of faith” as well as dedicated Torah learning sessions in memory of the fallen.
In a message to ultra-Orthodox reporter Yanki Farber seen by The Times of Israel, a spokesperson for the IDF stated that this evening a ceremony would be held at the brigade’s training base in the Jordan Valley, during which “they will salute the flag, sing Hatikvah, and read the order of the day, as is customary in every other brigade.”
“The soldiers currently stationed in Lebanon will hold ceremonies at their outposts,” the spokesperson continues, adding that members of the brigade have received praise from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and have “excelled in offensive operations and located a significant amount of weaponry” during their operations.
The Times of Israel Community.