IDF soldiers support fellow Jews by praying Kaddish for passed loved ones
The soldiers serve with teh Netzach Yehuda unit, which allows haredi youth to serve in Israel's defence forces.
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDSAn ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, Jewish man walks past Israeli soldiers of the Netzah Yehuda Haredi infantry battalion during their swearing-in ceremony in Jerusalem(photo credit: AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS)
A group of religious IDF soldiers are bringing comfort to Jews in mourning by saying the obligatory "Kaddish" prayer on their behalf for deceased loved ones in a minyan.The soldiers serve with the Netzach Yehuda unit, a special battalion reserved for haredi soldiers who want to combine the rigors of religious Jewish practice with service in the Israeli army. Currently, all soldiers are on lockdown on their bases, with no leave allowed while the pandemic measures are in effect. As the soldiers have been together for more than two weeks with no contact with anyone from outside the base, they have been permitted to hold minyanim - formal prayer quora consisting of at least ten men.In light of the coronavirus pandemic which is preventing others from forming minyanim across Israel and the diaspora, the soldiers have offered their services to anyone wanting Kiddish said for a loved one who has passed. They have been inviting people to send them names so that they can be remembered properly. Rabbi Shmuel Schwartz, a father of a paratrooper with the brigade said: "Over the last few weeks I have been lost because I cannot say Kaddish for my mother. Then my soul was immediately revitalized when my son offered to say Kaddish for my mother in his unit. I felt so relieved and at comfort that my mother could be properly honored during my time of mourning.”The initiative was launched and is being supported by Nahal Haredi, an organization which supports haredi soldiers serving in the IDF. The organization has set up an online form for people around the world to place their requests for loved ones to be prayed for.The Nahal Haredi organization currently supports and accompanies 2,200 active duty soldiers, 300 lone soldiers and over 13,000 veterans.
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