"A Bluff to Confuse Us": Former General Slams New Haredi Brigade as Unfit for Mainstream Recruits
Brig. Gen. Reem Aminoach tears into the IDF's "Hasmonean Brigade," calling the unit a "bluff" that fails to accommodate the Haredi mainstream.
Brig. Gen. (Res.) Reem Aminoach, a former member of the General Staff Forum and current researcher at the INSS, has launched a blistering attack on the IDF’s new "Hasmonean Brigade." In an interview on the program Kippot Shchorot, Aminoach claimed the unit is structurally incapable of integrating mainstream Haredi yeshiva students.
"The Mother Wants a Haredi Son, Not Chardali"
Aminoach, who attended a Haredi yeshiva himself, argued that the primary obstacle is a lack of cultural alignment. He criticized the brigade's command staff for being predominantly "Chardal" (Hardline Religious Zionist), a subculture he says is fundamentally different from the Haredi world.
"A Haredi mother who sends her son to the army needs to know with certainty that he will return exactly as Haredi as when he left," Aminoach explained. "When you look at the staff in the Hasmonean Brigade, they are Chardali. Even if they are more 'learned' or more meticulous than the recruit, it’s simply not relevant. They don't represent the Haredi value system."
Brigade or Bluff?
The former general didn't pull punches regarding the unit's branding, suggesting that the "Brigade" label is misleading. "Let's look the truth in the eye: there is a single company there in total. They call it a 'Brigade' just to confuse us."
He further asserted that the current framework only appeals to those on the fringes of the sector rather than the core "Mainstream":
The Military’s Blind Spot
The critique comes at a sensitive time as the IDF accelerates the establishment of the Hasmonean Brigade to meet recruitment goals. Aminoach’s background provides a unique perspective on the nuances the military may be missing, specifically the distinction between Religious Zionism and the "Ben Torah" lifestyle of the Haredi elite.
His warnings pose a direct challenge to defense officials: Can the IDF create a framework that truly suits the "lions" of the yeshiva world, or will the Hasmonean Brigade remain a marginal solution for those who have already left the traditional study halls?