Israel Hayom learned that the new ultra-Orthodox brigade is advancing despite current tensions surrounding the Haredi military service exemption law and ongoing demonstrations at Jerusalem's recruitment office. The first wave of combat soldiers is set to arrive at the brigade's newly upgraded training base in December.
The training base in the Jordan Valley is undergoing a $46 million transformation, featuring four new synagogues and specialized infrastructure designed to accommodate religious requirements. The facility will serve as the training ground for the first cohort of ultra-Orthodox soldiers who will form part of a standard infantry brigade.
The brigade's establishment falls under Colonel Avinoam Emunah's leadership, reporting to Major General David Zini. Plans call for the first ultra-Orthodox infantry battalion to be combat-ready by November 2025, joining existing religious units. This initiative represents the first formation of a regular infantry brigade "from the ground up" since the 1980s.
The leadership structure is already in place, with appointments including a battalion commander, brigade human resources officer, company commanders, and platoon leaders. Staff training is underway, with plans for the brigade to function as a self-sufficient unit, operating independently without requiring support from other formations.
The IDF's enhanced focus on ultra-Orthodox recruitment stems from operational necessity. A regular brigade can effectively replace dozens of reserve battalions in operational duties, substantially reducing the burden on reserve forces.
Parallel initiatives include the formation of an ultra-Orthodox Border Police company and an aircraft maintenance division within the Air Force, both structured to accommodate religious requirements.
The recruitment initiative has gained high-level attention, with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi conducting monthly progress reviews. Senior military leaders have engaged in dialogue with prominent Orthodox rabbis and religious leaders, including a significant meeting with Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, a leading Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox authority.
The military has adopted a new approach, moving away from viewing itself as an "educator" for the ultra-Orthodox community. Instead, it aims to demonstrate that religious observance and military service can coexist. The strategy focuses on building broad-based support for recruitment, including seeking rabbinical endorsement.
Last Thursday marked the end of the first trimester of the current recruitment year, which set an ambitious target of 4,800 ultra-Orthodox recruits – a significant increase from the 1,800 who enlisted last year. Israel Hayom previously reported that while draft notices were sent to approximately 3,000 ultra-Orthodox men, less than 10 percent appeared at recruitment offices.
Plans are underway to open a dedicated ultra-Orthodox recruitment center by July 2025, staffed entirely by male personnel to accommodate religious sensitivities. However, the IDF has tempered its expectations regarding this approach, acknowledging that issuing 3,000 draft notices does not guarantee enlistment. In response, the military has shifted focus to actively promoting service opportunities within the religious community.
Despite the limited success of the formal draft notices, recruitment has shown encouraging signs, with estimates indicating a several dozen percent increase compared to the same trimester last year (which averaged roughly 600 recruits per trimester). Notably, the majority of new recruits came through channels other than the formal draft notices.
While acknowledging that many may not report to recruitment offices, the military maintains its enforcement stance. Those who fail to appear will receive additional notices, following the same protocol applied to the general population, where multiple summons are common before compliance. To date, 720 arrest warrants have been issued for ultra-Orthodox individuals who failed to report. However, rather than immediate arrest, these cases typically result in restricted exit rights from the country, similar to enforcement measures in the general sector.
The ultra-Orthodox community's hesitation toward military service stems from various factors, including reluctance to be pioneers in their community and the prevalent belief that military service conflicts with religious observance. The IDF's current strategy focuses on challenging these perceptions through dialogue with religious leaders and creating conditions that make military service more accessible to the ultra-Orthodox population.
