After only 90 days of basic training, the Haredi paratroopers of HETZ from Company 202 are facing the ‘Eichmann’ tower.
By HAGAY HACOHENUpdated: NOVEMBER 20, 2017 17:09Haredi troops in the IDF during training
Thirty-five Haredi future soldiers will soon embark on their final training drill before putting on parachutes and jumping out of planes. These Haredi paratroopers-to-be will jump from the top of a 12 meter [39 ft] tower, nicknamed "Eichmann" by previous Israeli paratroopers, and experience a three meter free fall before their harnesses lock into place and they are secured.A Haredi soldier in training While some Haredi communities reject military service as a state-imposed mandate that could alter their unique ultra-Orthodox way of life, some embrace the service as a way to demonstrate how a pious life meshes well with army duty.The rabbis of the Nahal Haredi Organization have been helping these Haredi soldiers during their training ever since the group was created less than a year ago and have made every effort to ensure that a Torah-observant lifestyle would be kept alongside the rigors of army training. All the meals were kosher l’mehadrin [high-level kosher] and the soldiers were given Torah lectures and time to pray three times a day.Haredi trooper in training The issue of Haredi people integrating into the armed forces is a complex one and was recently portrayed on the television screen by the Israeli program “Iron Dome,” which tells the fictional tales of Haredi soldiers.
