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The Importance of Nahal Haredi, Now More Than Ever
Haredi Jewish men look at the scene of an explosion at a bus stop in Jerusalem, Israel, on Nov. 23, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Ammar Awad
Last month, amidst all the to-ing and fro-ing across Israel, our solidarity mission from Los Angeles spent a couple of hours at an important event on Rechov Uruguay, a quiet leafy street in the Kiryat HaYovel neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Rechov Uruguay is just one of the many streets in Kiryat HaYovel named for countries that voted at the U.N. in November 1947 in favor of partitioning Palestine – a landmark vote that paved the way for the creation of Israel six months later.
But we were not on Rechov Uruguay to commemorate an event from history. Rather, we were there to celebrate the formal opening of an apartment for soldiers of the Netzach Yehuda division of the IDF, better known as Nahal Haredi.
This past Yom Kippur, just a couple of weeks before the tragic events of October 7th, our synagogue in Beverly Hills held an appeal to raise money to pay for this apartment, and now we were there to dedicate it. The event was attended by a range of dignitaries, but truthfully, they were eclipsed by another aspect of the ceremony that took center stage.
On the morning of October 7th, Haredi soldier Sergeant Binyamin Lev heard about the Hamas terrorist incursion into Southern Israel, and immediately rushed to the town of Sderot, together with his colleagues, to eliminate the threat against Israelis. Hours later he was dead, felled by terrorist bullets.
Sergeant Lev was 23 years old. The apartment on Rechov Uruguay was being dedicated in his memory, with the participation of his commanding officers and his family. It was an event that will remain with me for as long as I live.
Sergeant Lev’s story is incredibly inspiring. He was born into a Chabad family in Paris, one of 8 children. A couple of years ago, out of the blue, he decided to move to Israel and join the Israeli army as a lone soldier, much like our own son Meir, who did the same a year earlier.
Meir told us that he helped Binyamin join the same unit was in – Haredim Tzanchanim, or “Chetz”, a unique paratrooper unit entirely made up of boys from Haredi families.
Binyamin excelled in his military tasks, but he also clung tenaciously to strict Jewish observance, totally devoted to his traditions and family customs. At the dedication event, Binyamin’s grandfather, a gentle-looking, white-bearded Chabad hasid, took out a guitar and sang Binyamin’s favorite song. The words of the song were a verse from scripture.
We all wept as we sang along with him and clapped our hands to the beat. Meir was particularly moved; he attended Binyamin’s funeral in October, and now he was at this dedication event. It brought it home for him, and for us – the real price our people paid on October 7th was on vivid display, personalized and stark.
But truthfully, neither Binyamin nor Meir are typical of the Nahal Haredi recruits. Most Haredim who join the strictly Orthodox units of the IDF come from families that shun them for the choice they’ve made, or at best tolerate them while making clear that active military duty is not okay. Some families tell their soldier sons never to appear in their Haredi neighborhoods in uniform, in case this triggers hostility and causes the family problems.
Incredibly, there are even Haredi families with sons in the army have been forced out of their communities for having broken ranks with their Haredi compatriots. This is why Nahal Haredi needs these apartments, so that their soldiers have got somewhere to live when they are off duty.
This negative attitude by Haredim all stems from a pivotal decision in 1948 by Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, to exempt yeshiva students from conscription. This policy, known as the ‘Torato Umanuto’ (“His Torah is His Profession”) exemption, was initially intended to apply to a small number of students to allow for the continuation of Jewish religious scholarship that was devastated by the Holocaust.
At the time, the exemption was relevant to an estimated 400 students, but the numbers have grown significantly. In recent years, reports indicate that the number of exemptions granted annually to yeshiva students has reached into many tens of thousands – the result of an exponential growth of the Haredi sector in Israel.
In 1963, Ben Gurion expressed regret for the blanket exemption in a letter to Levi Eshkol, but he was no longer in power and the exemption numbers continued to grow, long after post-Holocaust concerns had been mitigated by the incredible growth in quantity and quality of yeshiva scholarship. As a result, the ‘Torato Umanuto’ exemption has become a source of endless contention and discord in Israeli society.
Until October 7th, societal norms were such that tensions between Haredim and the rest of Israel regarding the broad refusal by Haredim to take part in defending Israel from military and terrorist threats by participating in national service had evolved into the familiar discourse of a special interest group refusing to consider any kind of alternative narrative.
Nahal Haredi – formed in 1999 to accommodate the needs of Haredi soldiers not suited to yeshiva study – simply got caught in the crosshairs of this epic ideological battle. For all intents and purposes, the concept of Nahal Haredi died on the vine, as it lacked the kind of meaningful support from Haredi rabbinic and political leadership that would have ensured broad success. Those Haredi boys who did enlist – unless they came from abroad as lone soldiers – found themselves shunned and marginalized, as did their families.
But the shock of October 7th and the war that has been raging ever since has shifted the paradigm considerably. Last week, Israel’s Interior Minister, Moshe Arbel of the Haredi Sephardic Shas party, reached out to Yossi Levy, CEO of Netzach Yehuda.
In his letter, later published by Yediot Ahronot, Arbel encouraged the integration of Haredim into meaningful, long-term military service. He particularly expressed his pleasure at the significant increase in interest among Haredi youth to enlist for combat service in the upcoming draft.
Arbel also told Levy how happy he is about the more than 800 new Haredi soldiers who have joined the IDF since October 7th. And in an interview, Arbel argued that it is totally indefensible for Haredim to claim exemption from military service simply because they are Haredim. Like all other Israeli citizens, they should serve, he told the interviewer, except for those who are genuinely engaged in full-time Torah study.
This shift is without question a welcome change, but it has yet to translate into full-throated support for Nahal Haredi by the recognized rabbinic hierarchy within the Haredi world. That support must come, as Israel and the Jewish people face the most challenging threats to their existence in recent history, and the IDF is poised to play a key role, in which the Haredi community have a stake that is no less significant than every other element of Israel’s Jewish population. We are all in this together, and no element of the Jewish world can afford to opt out of the task that lies ahead.
Currently, the Jewish world is reading the biblical portions that deal with the construction of the Tabernacle in the Sinai wilderness. Every Jew was expected to support the construction of this holy sanctuary.
The Midrash informs us that the princes of each tribe decided to wait until the end of the campaign to make their contribution, so that they could then fill in the gaps. But as it turned out, they messed up – the people were so enthused by the idea of supporting the project, that when it came to the turn of the princes, there was nothing left for them to give, an omission that forever remained a blot on their record.
Members of the Haredi community – of which I consider myself a product and proud member – have long considered themselves the princes of Jewish life. Sadly, this has meant that they have not been willing to contribute to the national effort to defend Israel, instead expecting everyone else to play their part while they remained on the sidelines.
That is not the right approach. Just like the tribes of Reuven and Gad, and half of Menashe, Haredim – who by their way of life represent the importance of preserving Jewish identity and tradition – should be first in line to defend Israel and the Jewish people on the battlefield.
The Torah instructs us (Lev. 19:16): “do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor.” This law demands of every Jew that if someone is in danger, to save them and do anything to ensure their survival.
The Jewish people is in physical and existential danger from terrorists who are out to murder and destroy us. We need the Haredi soldiers now more than ever, to lead the charge against those who mean to kill and destroy us, and to uproot us from the land of our heritage and destiny.
And if the Haredi community comes on board and commits itself to defending our holy homeland, I have no doubt it will be the inspiration that will inevitably lead to the coming of the Messiah and the rebuilding of our Beit Hamikdash.
The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills, California.
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Rubio Says Direct US-Iran Nuclear Talks to Take Place on Saturday
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 10, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday the United States will hold direct talks with Iran this weekend to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.
The talks between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and a senior Iranian leader are scheduled for Saturday in Oman.
“We hope that’ll lead to peace. We’ve been very clear what Iran is never going to have a nuclear weapon, and I think that’s what led to this meeting,” Rubio said during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Donald Trump.
Trump on Monday made a surprise announcement that the United States and Iran were poised to begin direct talks on Tehran’s nuclear program on Saturday, warning that Iran would be in “great danger” if the talks were unsuccessful.
The announcement caused some confusion because Iran had said the talks would be indirect with the Omanis acting as mediators.
A US official familiar with the planning said the two delegations would be in the same room for the talks.
Trump on Wednesday repeated his threat to use military force if Iran did not agree to end its nuclear program, saying Israel would play a key role in any military action.
Trump said Iran could not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and if it declined to stop development efforts, military action could follow.
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Rabbis Make Historic Trip to Ethiopia, Urge More Support for Country’s Impoverished Jewish Community
The mission of Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry (SSEJ) is to provide humanitarian assistance to Jewish communities in Ethiopia. Photo: SSEJ
For the first time in over 30 years, a delegation of rabbis traveled to Ethiopia with the Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry (SSEJ) aid group to support the nation’s beleaguered Jewish community, which continues to live in hardship as they await immigration to Israel.
Last month, a group of seven rabbis from the US and Israel visited Ethiopia on a three-day mission to meet 13,000 Jews living in Addis Ababa, the country’s capital, and in Gondar — a northwestern city home to Ethiopia’s largest Jewish population.
“This was a powerful, incredibly moving, out of the box experience,” Rabbi Elie Weinstock, from the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach, told The Algemeiner.
“Witnessing their poverty and extreme living conditions was heartbreaking, but at the same time, their resilience was inspiring,” Weinstock continued, recounting his experience during the trip.
Jews have lived in Ethiopia for thousands of years, preserving their faith and traditions across generations. However, the vast majority of the community now lives in dire conditions, facing extreme poverty, food insecurity, limited access to medical care, and almost no access to education.
Most families survive on an average annual income of just $600 and live in overcrowded, single-room homes without plumbing. Many have lived as internally displaced refugees for over two decades, waiting to make aliyah — the process of Jews immigrating to Israel — and in many cases being reunited with their families in the Jewish state.
SSEJ is the primary provider of essential services for Jews in Ethiopia, including food, medical care, and education. Photo: SSEJ
“The American Jewish community should be strong enough to pay attention to this issue. We can’t ignore what’s right in front of us,” Weinstock told The Algemeiner. “It’s time for the Jewish community to step up and take action.”
SSEJ, a US-based NGO that is entirely volunteer-run, is the only provider of humanitarian aid to Jews in Ethiopia. The group provides vital support to the local community through feeding centers, medical care, education, and Jewish communal celebrations.
To mitigate some of the hunger devastating the Jewish community, SSEJ has supplied over 2.5 million meals annually, prioritizing young children and pregnant and nursing women. The organization also provided medical care to 4,000 Jews in Ethiopia and offered health insurance to all 13,000 Jews in Addis Ababa and Gondar. Additionally, 3,070 registered students received education in Hebrew, Jewish studies, and prayer.
“One of the most striking aspects of the visit was to see how central Israel is to their identity and religious practice,” Weinstock said, reflecting on his experience. “As different as their culture, place, and background may be, they are proud Jewish members, deeply committed to their faith.”
SSEJ provides education to 3,070 registered students. Children learned Hebrew, Jewish studies, and prayer. Photo: SSEJ
Founded in 2000, SSEJ and its leaders have helped approximately 55,000 Ethiopians immigrate to Israel, surpassing the total number brought during the historic Operation Moses and Operation Solomon in 1984 and 1991.
Between 2022 and 2023, Israel brought in 3,000 Ethiopian Jews, many of whom had been waiting to make aliyah for over 20 years. However, 13,000 Jews remain in the country, primarily in Addis Ababa and Gondar, living in desperate conditions.
Rabbi Reuven Tradburks, director of the Israel Office of the Rabbinical Council of America, said that despite witnessing “crushing, debilitating poverty” during the trip to Ethiopia, the local Jewish community’s “commitment to practicing Judaism and living their faith was deeply moving.”
“I was overwhelmed by the strong presence of Jewish religious expression, the religious schooling, and the community’s deep observance,” Tradburks told The Algemeiner. “The religious passion I saw was unlike anything I had experienced before.”
SSEJ opened a medical clinic in Gondar, Ethiopia to treat all Jewish children up to age 18 as well as the elderly for free. Photo: SSEJ
Since the Hamas-led massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, there has been no clarity on how many Ethiopian Jews will be brought to Jerusalem or when that will happen.
The Jewish community in Ethiopia was hit especially hard when Israel’s economy declined after the Hamas invasion of southern Israel, as many families who rely on remittances from relatives in the Jewish state suddenly stopped receiving support.
“If bringing them home isn’t immediately possible, then at the very least, we must keep them alive — we cannot let poverty kill them,” Tradburks said. “This is a humanitarian crisis that must be addressed.”
As an ongoing civil war and unprecedented inflation have severely disrupted the lives of Jews in Ethiopia, SSEJ’s efforts have become crucial in supporting those awaiting reunification with their families in Israel, and the organization is in urgent need of funding to continue its work.
SSEJ supports a range of communal activities, such as the largest Passover Seder in the world, which served over 4,500 people in Gondar, Ethiopia and over 1,000 people in Addis Ababa. Photo: SSEJ
“Despite these hardships and suffering, the community demonstrates incredible love, resilience, and inner strength, holding onto hope and dignity for the future,” Rabbi Leonard Matanky, from Congregation KINS of West Rogers Park in Chicago, told The Algemeiner.
“It seems almost impossible that they are accomplishing the impossible,” he said, recounting his experience during this trip.
Most of this community lives below the international poverty line of $2.15 per day, with chronic malnutrition widespread and little access to medical care or shelter. Over 70 percent have family members — including parents, spouses, children, or siblings — in Israel.
Matanky explained that there are various ways to support the community, such as financially, politically, and through advocacy, but raising awareness of their situation is one of the most important steps.
“We need to highlight the situation of Ethiopian Jews — this is a critical situation that has fallen off the radar,” he said.
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Felony Charges Filed Against Pro-Hamas Protesters Over Stanford University Break-In
Students listen to a speech at a protest encampment in support of Palestinians at Stanford University during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, in Stanford, California US, April 26, 2024. Photo: Carlos Barria via Reuters Connect.
Twelve Stanford University students have been charged with felony vandalism and conspiracy to trespass for their role in the takeover of an administrative building during the final days of the 2023-2024 academic year, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday.
“Dissent is American. Vandalism is criminal,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “There is a bright line between making a point and committing a crime. These defendants crossed the line into criminality when they broke into those offices, barricaded themselves inside, and started a calculated plan of destruction.”
As previously reported by The Algemeiner, on June 5, 2024, pro-Hamas activists associated with the campus group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) raided then-president Richard Saller’s office, locking themselves inside using, the Stanford Daily reported at the time, “bike locks, chains, ladders, and chairs.” The incident was part of a larger pro-Hamas demonstration in which SJP demanded that the university adopt the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to isolate Israel from the international community as the first step to its eventual elimination.
Inside the building, the protesters proceeded to graffiti “kill cops” and “De@th 2 Is@hell” on school property.
“In addition to damage done inside the building, protesters committed extensive graffiti vandalism on the sandstone buildings and columns of the Main Quad this morning,” provost Jenny Martinez said following the incident. “This graffiti conveys vile and hateful sentiments that we condemn in the strongest terms. Whether the graffiti was created by members of the Stanford community or outsiders, we expect that the vast majority of our community joins us in rejecting this assault on our campus.”
The students — originally called the “Stanford Thirteen” to include the arrest of a Stanford Daily reporter who no longer faces criminal charges for being present during the alleged criminal conduct to cover it as a news story — face some of the toughest sanctions imposed on anti-Israel protesters who, beginning in April 2024, commandeered sections of their campuses across the US and refused to leave unless school administrators adopted the BDS movement. In addition to being criminally charged, eight of the 12 were suspended by the university for what was allegedly a premeditated operation.
“Multiple cell phones were recovered from the arrestees,” the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release. “A review of the cell phone data resulted in detailed communication about the planning and commission of the conspiracy, including encrypted text-messages and links to detailed operational plans. The communication indicated the suspects met on multiple occasions, days in advance, to conspire to take over the building.”
Santa Clara County added that a “DO-IT-YOURSELF OCCUPATION GUIDE [sic]” containing seditious material was retrieved from the students’ cellphones as well. The guide said: “Vandalism? Occupying a space removes the space from the capitalist landscape. A group may decide it is better to destroy or vandalize a space than return it to its usual role in good condition. The role of vandalism may be different in each situation, but it should not be disowned outright.”
Stanford University itself faces a federal investigation, as it is one of 60 colleges and universities identified by the Trump administration as an institution that responded inadequately to antisemitic incidents that occurred on the campus.
Prior to the 2024 protests it was the site of a slew of antisemitic incidents. A swastika was etched into a metal panel of a bathroom, a student’s mezuzah was desecrated, and weeks before, a Jewish student found an image of Adolf Hitler and swastikas on their door. In other incidents, someone graffitied swastikas, the n-word, and “KKK” in a mens bathroom and a Stanford University student was photographed reading Hitler’s memoir. Responding to concerns that antisemitic sentiment at the university had reached crisis levels, Stanford created an advisory to task force composed of faculty and staff who proposed measures for improving Jewish life on campus and reducing antisemitism.
US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s March announcement of the college investigations indicate that Trump administration officials do not feel the school has done enough to address the problem.
“The department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite US campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year,” McMahon said in a statement. “US colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by US taxpayers. That support is a privilege, and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post Felony Charges Filed Against Pro-Hamas Protesters Over Stanford University Break-In first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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