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.
The IDF said issued a statement saying, “For more than two years, the IDF has been carrying out unprecedented steps to enable the integration of Haredi men into military service, with adjustments required for their way of life and in line with growing operational needs.
Alongside this, the increase in enlistment and the development of service tracks and goals require the expansion of training and service infrastructure, including professional training and command and officer roles, which many servicemembers seek to join.
“Therefore, as part of staff work, an expansion of the Haredi training system is also being considered, including a dedicated training base that would serve as an entry point for Haredi recruits. Once the staff work is completed and decisions are made, they will be published.”
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.
They say that punitive measures harden resistance and deepen mistrust, while a freeze allows yeshiva students to consider service without feeling attacked or coerced.
A cooperative approach 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.
