There are a wide range of programs available for religious men and women drafting into the IDF, ensuring a religious service and acclimation to civilian life, if necessary. Read more to learn about the programs offered by the army and other private organizations.
The Hesder program combines Yeshiva study with active service in the IDF, and is a joint effort between recognized Yeshivot of the Igud Yeshivot Hahesder and the IDF. Depending on your date of Aliyah and your Age of Arrival, the program runs a total of 32-44 months. Hesder participants must complete a mandatory year in Yeshiva (Shana Aleph), followed by 6-10 additional months of learning after which they will complete 17 months active service, and finish with additional learning time.
The draft dates for Hesder Yeshivot are in March and August, depending on the Yeshiva, which enable the students to enlist into a wide variety of units and jobs, according to their medical and mental profiles. Hesder students draft into a unit together and are able to live out of the Yeshiva during their service.
Mahal Hesder (for those who have not yet made Aliyah) is the same as Hesder and Hesder Olim, except in regards to the length of Yeshiva time needed. Participants in Mahal Hesder cannot have spent more than 18 cumulative months in Israel and must be between the ages of 18-21. Making Aliyah during Shalat (Unpaid service time) prior to, or during, active service qualifies the soldier for a 6 month deduction on the length of the Hesder Olim program, leaving them with a 32 month service.
Netzach Yehuda is a combat battalion in the Kfir brigade, dedicated to Haredim that want to serve in the IDF. It is a unit that helps integrate Haredim into Israeli society without compromising on their values, such as: Minyanim, Kashrut, Tzniut and Limud Torah. Soldiers in Netzach Yehuda serve with like-minded people in a comfortable environment. This unit has won various awards of excellence from the IDF and other organizations. In order to be eligible for this program, soldiers must be between the ages of 18-21 and pass the required interview after their Tzav Rishon. Placement into a specific unit is based on the soldier’s medical profile from their Tzav Rishon. (THIS PROGRAM REQUIRES AN INTERVIEW PRIOR TO ACCEPTANCE)
Unit Conditions:
- Ensured religious lifestyle
- Strictly male only
- All food will be Mehadrin
- Daily Minyanim and Shiurim
These units are very similar to Netzach Yehuda, although on a smaller scale. Tomer is made up of a single platoon in the Givati brigade, with Hetz being in Tzanchanim. The acceptance interview is more intense and singles out those that were brought up and maintain a strict Haredi lifestyle, and hold maintaining that lifestyle as a high priority.
In order to be eligible for this program, soldiers must be between the ages of 18- 21 and pass the required interview after their Tzav Rishon. Soldiers in this unit must have studied in a Haredi Yeshiva, or live the lifestyle of someone defined as Haredi, and must have a profile of 82 or above.
Unit Conditions
- All conditions of Netzach Yehuda
- Rabbinical visits on Shabbat
- Mentor that has been through the system for support and guidance
This program gives soldiers from Netzach Yehudah, Tomer, Hetz and Maganei Hanegev (Air Force) the option to take off their last year of service in order to use that time to catch up on their education, enabling them to get a job and start a career. The requirements that need to be met in order to receive the Shnat Mesima are living a Haredi lifestyle and attending a Haredi school or institution prior to enlistment. For those coming from overseas it is based on their present status, and schooling abroad will not be taken into account – but can still help. An interview is mandatory before being accepted.
The Shnat Mesima can be spent in one of the following educational frameworks:
• Mechina Academit (education college)
• Coursim Miktzuyim (trade school)
• Limudei Torah
This program is for those that already have a degree, or want to learn in a specific program in Yeshivat Derech Chaim; eligibility is up until 23 years of age. There are two track options in this program:
1. Yeshivat Derech Chaim (ages 18-22); for those who want to learn Torah and complete a degree at the same time. It involves 30 hours per week of Yeshiva learning and 20 hours per week of working towards a degree. There is a 1:20 ratio of teachers to students.
2. Academizatia (ages 18-23); an option for those who already possess a degree and would like to work and serve in that field, if relevant. They would serve in the same conditions as Shachar, the only difference being that the degree was done privately and not through the IDF.
Shachar is a program for people between the ages of 21-28 (also 18-21 if married) that want to do a degree or professional training through the army. They will receive a degree or diploma and complete their service in the IDF, after which they will be able to enter the workforce with skills and experience.
Timeline for Shachar:
• Basic training: 3-5 weeks with daily Torah Shiur and Minyan
• Courses in English and math, if necessary, for the planned degree or diploma (Hashlama)
• Release from active service to complete studies in an army institution or outside of the IDF, depending on the degree or diploma
• Upon completion of the degree, diploma or training, the soldier will use their training complete their army service
• Discharge, support and guidance
• Professional counseling for civilian life
Conditions in Shachar:
• Assigned to a base near their home
• Male-only units
• Live at home, work regular hours (for example 9:00-17:00) except in times of national emergency
• Monthly days in Yeshiva
• Mehadrin meals & daily minyanim
Lev LaChayal: This program provides a supportive Yeshiva environment to students who choose to serve in the IDF as lone soldiers. The pre-Army portion of the program “covers all the bases”, combining high-level Torah study, IDF-designed physical training, and advanced Hebrew Ulpan and tours of the country. Each individual receives the spiritual, ideological and physical preparation necessary to allow him to make his maximum contribution to the IDF. Lev LaChayal offers personal guidance for each individual as he navigates through the potentially bewildering military and immigration bureaucracies, and with difficulties he may encounter during his service. Perhaps most importantly—Lev LaChayal offers a place where each lone soldier can call “home”, both during the pre-Army and the subsequent Army service. Lev LaChayal is open to both Olim and Mahal candidates (ages 19-25) who have previously spent at least one year in a Yeshiva program.The pre-Army program runs for 6 months, starting September preparing participants for the March draft and again in March for an August draft.