WATCH: Haredi paratroopers take to the sky

After only 90 days of basic training, the Haredi paratroopers of HETZ from Company 202 are facing the ‘Eichmann’ tower.

Haredi troops in the IDF during training
Thirty-five Haredi future soldiers will soon embark on their final training drill before putting on parachutes and jumping out of planes. These Haredi paratroopers-to-be will jump from the top of a 12 meter [39 ft] tower, nicknamed "Eichmann" by previous Israeli paratroopers, and experience a three meter free fall before their harnesses lock into place and they are secured.
A Haredi soldier in training
A Haredi soldier in training
While some Haredi communities reject military service as a state-imposed mandate that could alter their unique ultra-Orthodox way of life, some embrace the service as a way to demonstrate how a pious life meshes well with army duty.
The rabbis of the Nahal Haredi Organization have been helping these Haredi soldiers during their training ever since the group was created less than a year ago and have made every effort to ensure that a Torah-observant lifestyle would be kept alongside the rigors of army training. All the meals were kosher l’mehadrin [high-level kosher] and the soldiers were given Torah lectures and time to pray three times a day.
Haredi trooper in training
Haredi trooper in training
The issue of Haredi people integrating into the armed forces is a complex one and was recently portrayed on the television screen by the Israeli program “Iron Dome,” which tells the fictional tales of Haredi soldiers.