Changing Tradition, Haredi IDF veterans to create their own community

A new educational program aims to provide Haredi IDF veterans with tools to gain financial independence.

By HAGAY HACOHEN
Updated: OCTOBER 29, 2018 19:22
Haredi soldier (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Haredi soldier
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Over 150 Haredi IDF veterans took part in the first meeting of a new program designed to enable them to gain tools and knowledge needed to establish an independent Haredi community.
Mikud L'’Chaim (Focus for Life), which began October 25, includes sections on financial independence, identity and personal growth as well as Judaism and Jewish philosophy.
The program was developed by Haredi Netzach Yehuda, established in 1999, the battalion that provides Haredi conscripts with the halachic [Jewish law] conditions they need to serve in the IDF. The battalion is usually engaged in the area of Jenin in the West Bank.
Yossi Levi, Haredi IDF veteran and Deputy CEO of Nahal Haredi, said that while the aim is to help these young men create a society with a strong Haredi character, "the higher goal is to [help them] build a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life."
Eighty-eight percent of Netzach Yehuda veterans work after completing their army service.