Netzah Yehuda Battalion

The Netzah Yehuda Battalion גדוד נצח יהודה (also known as Nahal Haredi נחל החרדי) is a battalion in the Kfir Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The purpose of the unit is to allow religious Israelis to serve in the IDF in an atmosphere conducive to their religious convictions, within a framework that is strictly halachically observant. The battalion's main action area is Jenin.

History and structure
The battalion was founded in 1999, and originally contained only 30 soldiers. It was started after about 18 months of discussions between a group of Haredi educators led by Rabbi Yitzhak Bar Chaim and the IDF. As of 2009, the battalion had grown to over 1,000 soldiers, and has reached the status of a fully functioning battalion. The battalion recently marked its 20th draft.

Netzah Yehuda's official battalion number is 97.

The battalion runs like every combat unit in the IDF. Training in the battalion is that of IDF infantry: four months of basic training followed by an additional three months of advanced training.

Today, at any given time, the battalion holds close to 1,000 soldiers, including two full companies in training, one company commencing active service, and two combat units: Palchod (Recon/ First Company) and Mesaiat (Rifleman Company). A third combat unit, Mivtzayit, was created in October 2009, due to the large number of soldiers joining the battalion in the most recent drafts. In the past there was a small special forces platoon (Machsar) composed of soldiers from the battalion but this was disbanded shortly after Lt. Colonel Dror Shpigel became commander of the battalion.

A volunteer all-Haredi computer unit has also been created within the Israeli Air Force. This, and the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, are seen as models for the possible future incorporation of haredi conscripts into the IDF should the present draft exemption for the Ultra-Orthodox community be lifted.

Religious accommodation
The battalion's motto is "V'haya Machanecha Kadosh", "And Your [military] camp shall be holy", a phrase taken from the Torah describing the importance of keeping a Jewish military camp free of sin or ritually unclean objects (in exchange for Divine assistance in battle).

As the battalion places great emphasis on accommodating the religious needs of the soldiers the Netzah Yehuda bases follow the highest standards of Jewish dietary laws and the only women permitted on these bases are wives of soldiers and officers.

As the battalion runs on a voluntary basis and does not draft soldiers, it is one of the few units in the IDF which depends on a recruitment mechanism for new troops. It actively recruits soldiers from Hareidi, Dati, and Chardal families; there are also many volunteers from overseas who enlist.

Combat
The unit is responsible for areas of operation around the Jenin area. The soldiers regularly go out on arrests and missions in the West Bank area with a high rate of success.

The battalion lost its first casualty on August 19, 2006 when Muhammad Ban-Yuda of Tammun, a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, shot and killed Staff Sergeant Roi Farjoun of Yehud at the Beka'ot Checkpoint east of Nablus. A nearby Netzah Yehuda soldier then opened fire and killed Ban-Yuda.