Netzah Yehuda Battalion

Netzah Yehuda Battalion
Warrior Pin of Nahal Haredi Combat Soldiers
Active	1999–Present
Country	Israel
Type	Infantry, Counter-Terrorism, Urban Combat
Size	Battalion
Part of	Central Israel command, West bank command, Jenin local command
Nickname(s)	Nahal Haredi (more commonly used)
Motto(s)	"Haru'ah, Hacoah veHanitsahon", "The spirit, the strength, and the victory"
Commanders
Current commander	Telem Hazan

The Netzah Yehuda Battalion Hebrew: גדוד נצח יהודה ‎‎ English: Judah's Eternity Battalion (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 Orthodox Jewish men 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.

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: five months of basic training, followed by an additional six 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. Over the last few years, Mivtzayit secretly formed into one of Israels most covert elite counter-terror units.

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.

Among the men who have served in the unit is Sergeant Almog Shiloni.

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).