Arutz Sheva spoke to Tzalash Director Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb to find out more about the very important work his organization is doing.

Rabbi Gottlieb made Aliyah in 2010 after previously serving as the rabbi of Congregation Shomrei Emunah, a prominent synagogue in Baltimore, MD. Rabbi Gottlieb currently teaches overseas students at Yeshivat Har Etzion and is the rabbi of Kehillat HaEla, a synagogue which serves as the centerpiece of a new neighborhood in Ramat Beit Shemesh which he helped build a little more than two years ago.

If that were not enough to keep him busy, Rabbi Gottlieb has recently joined Tzalash, an organization that focuses on helping religious soldiers in the IDF.

Rabbi Gottlieb notes that he first became familiar with Tzalash when his own son, Yaakov, joined the IDF. While his son’s military service “remains one of the things I am most proud of,” like all parents of soldiers, Rabbi Gottlieb admits that he was worried about his son’s physical safety. However, he says, it was only after his son had been in the army for some period of time that that he fully appreciated the religious challenges as well.

Rabbi Gottlieb explains that while the army is generally supportive of the needs of religious soldiers, nevertheless, “It’s just simply the challenge of being so focused and committed to your job as a solider, which could not be more important, protecting the land of Israel and the Jewish people; but it leaves very little time for your own personal religious and spiritual development”

It was the realistic assessment of this reality which inspired Rabbi Peretz Einhorn to found Tzalash and it is to meet this challenge that all of the varied activities of Tzalash are directed.

Rabbi Gottlieb explains that Tzalash runs numerous programs, starting from before the soldiers have drafted, continuing to the “giyus,” the day of soldiers begin their service, and ongoing throughout their term of active duty.

Tzalash is officially recognized by the Army Rabbinate, which regularly invites Tzalash staff members to visit army bases throughout the country. In addition to the support that they have received from the rabbinate, the activities of Tzalash are also enthusiastically supported by many officers in the army who appreciate the work that they are doing. Rabbi Gottlieb notes with great pride that army officers often share that their soldiers are more enthusiastic and motivated after a visit from Tzalash.

Of the numerous different programs that Tzalash provides, most well-known is the printing of thousands of small Gemaras that fit into the pockets of a soldier’s uniform. In addition to facilitating private learning among the soldiers, these gemaras are also used when Tzalash representatives visit army bases for group learning sessions. Rabbi Gottlieb notes that, “there is nothing more exhilarating than when the soldiers come together as a unit to learn and complete a masechet (tractate) of gemara.” He continues, “the sheer joy of the soldiers making a siyum on a group learning project is hard to put into words. You have to see it! The soldiers are so happy and it uplifts the spirits of anyone who witnesses it.”

Recently Tzalash has expanded their services and created a special division dedicated to helping the wives of enlisted soldiers. Rabbi Gottlieb explains that there is an incredible stress on a young family when the husband is a full-time soldier and is often away from home for long periods at a time.

As a result, Tzalash has designed numerous programs – both online and in person – to support these women and to connect them with other women from across the country who are in a similar situation. In addition to the actual programming, the creation of a “community” of people going through the same challenge has proven to be a real blessing.

These programs help “build a family that’s dedicated to kedusha, to Torah and to the service of Am Yisroel,” says Rabbi Gottlieb. “It keeps their marriages and their families strong despite the incredible sacrifice these young couples are making for the Jewish people.”

To learn more about Tzalash, visit their website or on Facebook