Yesterday, the First Symposium Soldier's Program was held at Yeshiva Orot Ashkelon ("Lights of Ashkelon") for the first cycle of the Shiluvim, or “Integration,” track which allows Religious Zionist soldiers to combine two years of active military duty with two years of Torah study. The program is an alternative to the extant Hesder yeshiva-army program which combines eighteen months of active duty service in the IDF with three and a half years of Torah study and gives the IDF some of its finest soldiers.
Until now, those who wish to extend their military service past the 18 months were required to leave the Hesder framework and not return to their yeshivah [seminary], which deterred some from entering the yeshiva-army program. After the Shiluvim program announced its longer IDF service duration, the enrollment of soldiers in the program, who wish to serve the longer period, doubled.
Terms of service for soldiers participating in the Shiluvim program allow them to continue their military careers uninterrupted. In the new framework, rabbis from the Shiluvim program will meet twice a month, as do Hesder rabbis, with the soldiers at their bases for calls of encouragement, reinforcement, and Torah study. These meetings are intended to reinforce the sense of community between the soldiers participating in the program and give them a sense of continuity during their active service.
Yesterday's symposium gathered some 55 soldiers at the Beit Midrash of Hesder Yeshiva Orot Ashkelon for a day of in-depth learning and conference calls with the rabbis of Yeshva Orot Ashkelon, Yeshiva Heichal Eliyahu in Kochav Yakov, the Yeshiva of Beit El, and Yeshiva Amit in Alufa. The soldiers, who serve in the Givati Brigade and Ordnance Corps Field Intelligence units were glad to meet friends and gain new strengths to as they prepare to reinlist and continue their service to the nation.
Director of the Shiluvim program, Eitan Ozeri, said: "We see great importance in strengthening the connection between students during their military service. We will continue to support our students in joining the army, for the best contribution to the country is one full of depth and meaning. Ultimately, we hope the new recruits service agreement, similar to other soldiers, will allow them to serve the people of Israel in contentment."