Ahead of the Jerusalem Post Miami Summit on January 13, Shomer Yisrael CEO Lt. Col. (res.) Yossi Levi spoke with The Jerusalem Post about Haredi service in the IDF, the organization’s programs, and its goals for the years ahead.
“Our primary goal,” says Yossi Levi, CEO of Shomer Yisrael, “is first to normalize the idea of IDF service in haredi society. Our second goal is to bring tens of thousands of haredim into combat units, thereby releasing reservist soldiers from duty and integrating tens of thousands of haredim into the Israeli economy, which will enable them to lead successful lives.”
Levi, a 34-year-old Jerusalem native, grew up in a Haredi family and studied at Haredi institutions, including the Mir Yeshiva. In 2009 he enlisted in the Kfir Brigade through Nahal Haredi, the IDF’s first all-Haredi unit. He served as a soldier and officer in a range of command roles, and during the Israel-Hamas war he became the first Haredi battalion commander in the IDF. He was appointed CEO of the organization in 2018. “Without Netzah Yehuda, there was no option for me to go to the IDF,” he told the Post, “because as a haredi, the only option for me was to serve in a unit where I would receive haredi values, with people like me.”
The organization accompanies Haredi soldiers serving across the IDF, including in the Kfir, Givati and Paratroopers brigades, the Israel Air Force and noncombat roles. Its work includes spiritual guidance from rabbis and advisers, housing for lone soldiers, pre-army programs, programs that bridge between soldiers and their families and communities, and support for the 24,000 Netzah Yehuda veterans who have completed their service.
“There are 250 soldiers who live in 33 lone soldiers’ homes throughout Israel,” Levi said. “We accept all haredi soldiers from haredi backgrounds, even if they are no longer haredi.” The organization’s mental health department employs 10 professional therapists. “After the [Israel-Hamas] War, everyone understands why we need it, but we started it before the war began.”
After October 7, the organization began actively recruiting Haredi youth and opened 11 hesder yeshivot and pre-military academies. “Today, we have close to 500 students in these programs,” Levi said. “Half of them join combat units, and half go to intelligence units.” Two students from the pre-military program received the Israel Security Prize for their contributions to the campaign against Iran in June 2025. The goal is to reach 5,000 students.
Levi also remembered St.-Sgt. Bezalel Kovach, a student of the Chedvata hesder yeshiva who fell in Gaza in May 2024, and spoke of Benny Weiser of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, who fought Hamas terrorists on October 7 and saved a wounded fellow soldier.
“The education we give to the students before the army is critical to allow them to be part of the army with the right values,” he said. “We are building the next generation of commanders and officers in the IDF.”
At the Miami Summit, Levi will discuss the integration of Haredim into Israel’s security and economy. “We need to bring thousands of haredim into the IDF through hesder yeshivot and pre-military academies, and we need to hire more therapists to address the issue of mental health. We’re coming to Miami to find partners.”
Also published in: The Jerusalem Post
Illustrative image: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit photographer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0