This morning (Wednesday), the November 2024 draft soldiers of the Netzach Yehuda Battalion from the Kfir Brigade and the Tomer Haredi Company from the Givati Brigade completed their beret march, the grueling hike that marks the end of certain training and receipt of their company beret, the highlight of their training as Haredi combat soldiers in the IDF.
Bereaved father his son’s company ceremony
Tomer Company soldiers began their march near Moshav Patish in the Gaza Envelope and ended it at Eshkol Park. At the closing ceremony, the father of fallen soldier Shneor Cohen hy”d, who served in the same company and fell in Gaza, arrived to place the berets on the soldiers’ heads.“We’ve been through a long journey together, we toughened up as fighters and bonded as brothers,” said one of the soldiers. “Today I feel part of something much bigger than myself.”
A sense of mission for the people of Israel
The Netzach Yehuda soldiers marched from the Kadouri School in the Lower Galilee to the Kfir Monument in Afula. The march took place during an intense operational period, in which Netzach Yehuda fighters have been operating continuously in Gaza for several months. The battalion has received praise from the defense establishment for a series of operational achievements in thwarting terror infrastructure.
To support the soldiers, the Netzach Yehuda Association boosted morale with food and drink stands and spiritual encouragement from rabbis who have accompanied the soldiers from enlistment and throughout their journey. The new commander of the Kfir training base, who has just assumed his role, thanked the Netzach Yehuda Association for years of support and guidance.
“I saw my son finish the march exhausted, dusty, but with shining eyes,” said one soldier’s father. “It’s not just a father’s pride. It’s a sense of mission for the people of Israel.”
Not just a physical path, but a spiritual journey
“This march symbolizes not just the physical path, but also the spiritual journey a Haredi soldier undergoes when joining the IDF out of a sense of mission,” said Rabbi Deutsch of the Netzach Yehuda Association, who has accompanied the soldiers. “The support we rabbis provide is not an addition—it is a vital part of shaping their identity throughout their military service.”
