Fighters, not rabbis: Torah students who choose the army reveal Israel’s bitter divide

For Haredi Jews exempt from military service, volunteering can mean a family break-up

Life in one of Israel's ultra-Orthodox military units does not proceed according to the usual army schedule. The morning starts with prayers just before dawn. Meals in the barracks are prepared under the strictest kosher requirements. Training is halted twice more during the day for prayers; once again for a rabbi to teach soldiers about religious texts. Unlike the rest of the Israel Defense Forces, there are no women on duty.

Many of the unit's deeply observant members were raised to be rabbis, which is seen as the highest calling and duty. But as Daniel Rosenberg, an ultra-Orthodox who operated a heavy machine-gun, explained, sometimes a "kid doesn't want to be a rabbi; he wants to be a fighter".

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