Avigdor Liberman
Avigdor LibermanYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

After a special meeting at the Ministry of Defense, Minister Avigdor Liberman on Sunday decided to allocate 17 million shekels to the basic defense budget for the Nativ conversion course.

With the consensus of the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Gadi Eizenkot, the course will be offered to soldiers at the beginning of their army service.

Nativ, the military conversion course, is aimed at soldiers and national service volunteers. External studies about conversion show that the percentage of converts that graduate from this course is higher than that of other courses.

The course is divided into phases: a basic course, a first seminar and a second seminar. The basic course runs for 7-10 weeks based upon the needs of the student. The seminars continue for 3-4 weeks.

Until now, Nativ couldn’t plan for the long term because its budget wasn’t stable or consistent. The Ministry of Defense, however, has now allocated a budget that will promise a future for Nativ and will allow for the expansion of its programming.

Minister Liberman and Chief of Staff Eizenkot decided that the course will be offered to soldiers at an early phase in their service, before they enter commander’s courses, which will allow for more soldiers to join the program and go through the conversion process.

One of the reasons soldiers were reluctant to register for Nativ in the past was that they didn’t want to deter from the military path they were on or miss special courses for unique units. They also did not feel comfortable going to the course while their comrades were serving on the frontlines. Offering the course at the beginning of service will allow more soldiers to register.

Liberman stated that “Nativ is not just a way for soldiers to convert to Judaism, but it also allows the individual to see himself as an integral member of the Jewish people and have a sense of identity and belonging in the state of Israel. This process will raise motivation for soldiers to join the course.”