Zamir to Hesder Yeshiva students: "You are an essential part of the IDF"

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir paid a visit on Tuesday to the Hesder Yeshiva in Yeruham. He met with the heads of the yeshiva, Rabbi Chaim Wolfson and Rabbi Uriel Eitam, the directors of the Hesder Yeshiva Union Uri Pinsky and Eliezer Deutsch, and with wounded students, before speaking in the study hall.

The visit, which lasted about three hours, began with a memorial event for the ten students and graduates of the yeshiva who fell in the Swords of Iron war. The heads of the yeshiva showed the Chief of Staff the memorial wall. During the event, the brother of Ephraim Yachman, a student of the yeshiva who fell in battle in the Gaza Strip in December 2023, spoke of his brother's dedication to Torah study even while serving in the field.

"Already upon entering here, one feels the power that is in this study hall, the power of the entire people of Israel. I see in the Hesder yeshivas leadership, responsibility, and a huge enterprise. What comes out of these study halls is the power and leadership of the people of Israel, and we need this leadership - a unifying and cohesive leadership. The Hesder yeshiva enterprise is very close to my heart and to the heart of the IDF. We see the graduates of the Hesder yeshivas in all units, on all fronts, and at the spearhead of the IDF. The connection to our Torah strengthens the spirit, and I see great value in studying Torah - this is a force multiplier for the IDF."

Zamir added: "The strengthening you receive here in the study hall is a lesson for life. The power of the IDF is the product of matter and spirit; it is not enough to have only one of them. You are an essential part of the IDF; we see you in all units."

The heads of the Hesder Yeshiva in Yeruham, Rabbi Chaim Wolfson and Rabbi Uriel Eitam, stated:

"Our partnership with the IDF is a foundation of what we seek to build here. From our perspective, studying Torah and responsibility for the security of the people are not two separate worlds, but one path that requires both dedication to the study hall and a readiness for action, for meaningful service, and for contribution to the state. The fact that the Chief of Staff comes here in the month of Elul, meets the students, and recognizes this connection between Torah, responsibility, and the security of Israel, touches exactly on our aspiration. A Hesder yeshiva is not a compromise, but a path with depth, which seeks to raise people who are committed to the Torah, to the people, and to the state."