The base is designed to bring together all existing Haredi service tracks within the army: the Hashmonaim Brigade, the Haredi Paratroopers track, the Netzach Yehuda battalion, and additional Haredi support and combat support tracks. 

By Hezy Laing

The IDF has decided to establish a dedicated training facility for Haredi soldiers in the Jordan Valley area.

The base is designed to bring together all existing Haredi service tracks within the army. The facility will operate in a model similar to Bahad 1, the IDF Officers School.

It will include the Hashmonaim Brigade, the Haredi Paratroopers track, the Netzach Yehuda battalion, and additional Haredi support and combat support tracks.

As part of adaptations for the Haredi sector, the facility will operate under full gender separation with no presence of women. It will also include religious services such as synagogues and mikvahs.

The project is described as a major expansion of the Hashmonaim Brigade and is expected to function as a kind of military autonomy, at a cost of tens of millions of shekels.

The IDF estimates that expanding separate service tracks will help increase enlistment rates, and the facility is designed to accommodate up to 10,000 soldiers at the same time.

Last week Haredi hesder yeshivas publicly praised the government’s decision to freeze sanctions on draft evaders, arguing that the pause creates a calmer and more constructive atmosphere for dialogue about future enlistment.

The sanctions were met by mass civil disobedience which heightened tensions between Israel’s different sectors.

The Haredi hesder yeshivas say that punitive measures harden resistance and deepen mistrust, while a freeze allows yeshiva students to consider service without feeling attacked or coerced.

They prefer a cooperative approach that strengthens the credibility of programs such as Haredi hesder tracks, which combine Torah study with military service.

They believe that easing pressure will encourage more young men to explore frameworks that fit their religious lifestyle, ultimately increasing enlistment by choice rather than compulsion.

Some 3, 600 Haredi soldiers are expected to enlist in 2026.