Soldiers from the haredi Netzach Yehuda Battalion of the Kfir Brigade and Tomer Company of the Givati Brigade who enlisted in the November 2024 induction cycle concluded their training on Wednesday with a march that ended with them receiving their berets.
The Tomer Company marched from Moshav Patish to Eshkol Park in the Gaza Envelope.
One of the moving moments at the event came when Ze'ev, the father of Shneur Zalman Cohen, a soldier in the company who fell in battle in Gaza, came dressed in uniform and fitted the berets on the heads of the soldiers.
One of the soldiers shared: "We had a long journey together, we got stronger as soldiers, and we connected like brothers. Today I feel like part of something much bigger than me."
The Netzach Yehuda march started at the Kaduri School in the lower Galilee and ended at the Kfir monument in Afula. The soldiers underwent a grueling training process that required physical and mental effort.
The march comes as the battalion's troops continue to operate in the Gaza Strip.
Before the march kicked off, the Netzach Yehuda Foundation made sure to lift the soldiers' spirits with energy snacks and drink stations, as well as the spiritual guidance of rabbis who have been accompanying the soldiers since basic training.
The father of one of the soldiers recounted: "I saw my son complete the march tired and dirty, but with a light in his eyes. It's not just the pride of a father, it's a sense of mission for the people of Israel."
Rabbi Deutch, one of the foundation's rabbis, concluded: "This march signifies not only the physical journey, but also the spiritual journey that the haredi soldier takes when he enlists in the IDF through a sense of mission."