A recent Mandel Leadership Institute conference focused on the responsibility of the Haredi community to provide spiritual and practical support to Haredi soldiers and their families – before, during, and after military service.

Dr. Naomi Perl, director of the Mandel Programs for Leadership Development in the Haredi Community, opened the conference stating that: "In the coming years, we will see more and more Haredi soldiers, and we have a responsibility toward them –– to ensure they have a community that embraces them rather than rejects them, that their families receive support and guidance. The Haredi soldier may wield the sword, but his hands must remain the hands of Jacob. There must be no hatred between Torah scholars and those who bear arms, only mutual love."

Two rabbis from Haredi hesder yeshivot, where military service is combined with Torah study, addressed the conference. Rabbi David Leibel, president of the "Achvat Torah" network, acknowledged that the IDF does not seek to secularize Haredim but noted the lack of trust between the Haredi sector and the IDF: “Many promises over the years have not been kept. Not due to an intention to secularize, but because commanders have not always understood the sensitivities and importance of these issues.”

Rabbi Carmi Gross, head of the "Derech Chaim" yeshiva, stated: "Everyone talks about how much the IDF and the state need the Haredi sector, but the real question is: How much does the Haredi sector need the IDF? Because without unity, the Divine Presence does not dwell among us."

The conference also marked the launch of Hishtadlut U’Bitachon, a book edited by Rabbi Dr. Aviad Hollander, a faculty member of the Mandel Programs for Leadership Development in the Haredi Community. The book, which compiles writings from leading rabbis, aims to present a Haredi perspective that supports enlistment and that can serve as a source of motivation for Haredi soldiers.

Brigadier General Shay Tayeb, head of the IDF’s Human Resources Planning and Administration Division, presented the military’s strategic approach to integrating Haredi soldiers.

The voices of Haredi soldiers were featured in a film produced by Aviad Hollander and adopted by the IDF Education and Youth Corps. It showcases five former Haredi soldiers who share their experiences in the IDF – spiritual struggles, moments of inspiration, and the fulfillment they found in military service.

A panel discussion included Lieutenant Colonel Avigdor Dickstein, Rabbi Yosef Miller, journalist Michael Shemesh, and Mrs. Dganit Pahima, mother of a Haredi combat soldier and wife of a Torah scholar. She shared her family’s struggles with her son’s enlistment: "The crisis our family experienced when our son made his decision was immense... On one hand, you’re fighting to keep one son in yeshiva—a younger son who is deeply devout... who adamantly declares, ‘We will die before we enlist.’ And on the other hand, you fight for your older son, who has chosen to serve."

Participants joined discussion groups on various topics, such as religious and emotional preparation for military service, strengthening soldiers’ sense of belonging both in their community and military unit, reintegration into Haredi civilian life and family support. At the end of the event, they responded enthusiastically, with many expressing hope that the conference’s discussions will lead to tangible leadership actions that will drive meaningful change.