IDF completes first squad commander course for ultra-Orthodox brigade

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday concluded its first-ever squad commanders’ course for the all-Haredi Hasmonean Brigade, marking a milestone in the military’s effort to integrate ultra-Orthodox soldiers.

Some 70 soldiers completed the training, which included drills in urban and open terrain, navigation exercises across Israel and real operational experience in the Gaza Strip, the IDF said in a statement Wednesday.

Tuesday’s graduation ceremony, led by the Hasmonean Brigade commander, Col. “A.,” was attended by both military leaders and the soldiers’ families.

“This is the first training course for squad commanders from the Haredi sector in the Hasmonean Brigade, and it is part of significant processes in the IDF aimed at integrating young Haredi men,” the IDF added.

Israel’s Supreme Court ruled last year that, following the expiration of an exemption law in 2023, the military must begin drafting Haredi men.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a speech to the Knesset on Oct. 20, said the government would advance a law to enlist 10,000 yeshivah students within two years, calling the proposal “a genuine revolution.”

“We have the example of the Hasmonean Brigade,” he said. “These bold fighters enlisted in the IDF as Haredim and will be discharged as Haredim, and we will add more tracks that will make this possible.”