Prayer under fire
New military training evolves as Nahal Haredi battalion surveys Golan Heights, learns how to fight, guard while praying, eating glatt-kosher rations.

by Hanan Greenberg
May 11, 2008

Nahal Haredi. Spiritual training Photo: IDF's Spokesperson Unit

Ultra-Orthodox in the Golan Heights: The soldiers of Nahal Haredi's Netzah Yehuda Battalion, who recently completed a successful active deployment in the Jordan Valley, have embarked on a new form of training in the Golan Heights a few days ago; the training includes urban warfare and a hike to Mount Hermon as well as a final battalion drill.

The soldiers will also exercise a spiritual state of emergency: Praying during wartime, taking turns in minyan (prayer quorum) as some pray and others guard, receiving glatt-kosher field rations, etc.

Nahal Haredi battalion goes north

After the regular IDF brigades completed their extensive training in the Golan Heights, the army’s most favorite training grounds, an elite force from the Kfir Brigade arrived to do its own kind of training. Commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Itsik Guy, the battalion soldiers began their training with a three-day survey of the Golan landscape.

“It’s important the soldiers get to know the streams and mountains on foot, and become familiar with the landscape,” a military source described the survey’s objective. The harder part of the survey came afterwards. “We dedicated one day to minor tactics warfare, emphasizing urban warfare, including live ammunition,” the military source added.

Spiritual and Military training. The battlion in action.

The battalion won great praise for their recently completed deployment in the Jordan valley, which included detaining wanted gunmen and exposing weapons. “The training will give us additional tools and sharpen existing skills ahead of returning to the deployment,” said the source. Training will be scaled so as not to overload the soldiers.

“The entire week is very intensive, with a four-day journey carrying weight from the center of the Golan up to Mount Hermon, sleeping outdoors and raid drills,” added the source.

As far as religious practice, the battalion maintains its status-quo; glatt-kosher field rations, taking turns praying, just like in wartime. And there aren’t any girls to distract the soldiers.

“It still moves me to see an entire ultra-Orthodox battalion during in a complex training,” Nahal Haredi Director Rabbi Tzvi Klebanow told Ynet, “especially since this is the first time the battalion trains the Golan; we will continue supporting it both spiritually and materialistically.”