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Sunday, April 6, 2008
The IDF's first 'glatt kosher' commandos

The IDF's first 'glatt kosher' commandos
Yaakov Katz , THE JERUSALEM POST Apr. 6, 2008
www.jpost.com
/servlet/Satellite?cid=1207238165648&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

They are trained by the IDF's best instructors and are expert marksmen,
scouts and urban warfare fighters. In contrast to their counterparts in the
elite units belonging to the Golani or Paratrooper Brigades, these soldiers
sport large black velvet yarmulkes and sidelocks, making up the first glatt
kosher Sayeret - elite reconnaissance squad - in IDF history.

The squad is part of Nahal Haredi, which was established nine years ago as a
single company.

Today it is a full battalion - called Netzah Yehuda - with three companies
and the newly-established elite counter-terror squad which is under the
direct command of Battalion Commander Lt.-Col. Itzik Gai.

The battalion belongs to the Kfir Brigade and is based in the Jordan Valley.
Most of its 700 soldiers are recruited in Israel and come from a haredi or
national religious background. After they complete two years of service,
Nahal Haredi offers the soldiers help in completing matriculation and
pre-college studies.
Sources in the battalion said that the new elite squad was made up of 20
soldiers who were chosen after completing their basic and advanced training.

"The soldiers who are chosen undergo advanced training with an emphasis on
urban warfare techniques and reconnaissance," a source in the battalion
said. "The squad has bomb sappers, snipers and medics - basically everything
a unit going into combat would need."

The unit, which operates in the Jordan Valley, Jericho, sometimes deploys by
helicopter or in military vehicles. They are trained by IDF reservists who
have served in elite units.

"The counter-terror squad is used to lay ambushes and for operations that
need to be launched within a matter of minutes," the source said. "The
soldiers in the unit are always on standby."

The IDF is pleased with the performance of Netzah Yehuda and recently
announced plans to try and enlist enough haredi soldiers to be able to
establish a second battalion in a similar framework - two years of military
service as a combat soldiers and one year completing matriculation exams and
preparing for university.

Rabbi Zvi Klebanow, director of the Nahal Haredi Organization, said that the
elite fighters "are a pride for Israel by demonstrating their ability to
maintain a haredi lifestyle while at the same time serving their country."

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