IDF paratroopers from the HETZ (“haredi paratroopers”) company of the 202nd Battalion, conscripted only three months ago, have carried out their final training drill in preparation for their first landing in the coming days.
The HETZ paratroopers’ course at the Tel Nof base has 35 haredi soldiers this time around.
Haredi soldiers in the above clip are seen practicing for the first time on the legendary “Eichmann” Tower long used as a training spot for soldiers of the much-vaunted paratrooper units.
The 12-meter-high jumping tower is the most formidable structure on the training ground. Jumping off the Eichmann Tower simulates a sensation similar to that of riding a zip line.
In this case, the soldier drops three meters before the harness snaps into place and secures the person against the fall.
The rabbis of the Nahal Haredi Organization who have escorted the haredi paratroopers since the group’s inception less than a year ago say, “As always in the special tracks reserved for haredi soldiers, the course met all conditions of separation between men and women, provided kosher l’mehadrin food, daily prayers three times a day, Torah lectures and more.
“The success with which haredi paratroopers integrate grueling training sessions with uncompromising adherence to a haredi lifestyle is further evidence that one can enjoy the best of both worlds by being haredi and, simultaneously, an excellent soldier.”