The students of the hesder yeshiva in the northern town of Kiryat Shmonah have won the Social Welfare Minister's Prize for Volunteer Service. They were recognized for over 20 years of community service, "including collecting and distributing food to needy families, cheering up the ill at the hospital in Tzfat, giving Bar Mitzvah lessons, and providing friendship and guidance to local youth." Students in hesder yeshivot are enrolled for five years, serving in the army for approximately one-third of the time, and engaging in Torah study for the remainder.