Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, made what was described as a historic visit Tuesday to the hesder yeshiva in Yerucham, a development town in southern Israel. Hesder yeshivas combine advanced Torah study with military service, allowing students to split their time between the study hall and active duty. During the approximately three-hour visit, Zamir met with the yeshiva's heads, Rabbi Chaim Wolfson and Rabbi Uriel Itam, as well as yeshiva rabbis, directors of the Hesder Yeshivas Association Uri Pinsky and Eliezer Deutsch, and students who were wounded in combat. He later entered the study hall to address the student body. The visit opened with a presentation about ten students and graduates of the yeshiva who fell during the ongoing Iron Swords war. The yeshiva heads showed the chief of staff a memorial wall and shared stories about each of the fallen. During this segment, the brother of Efraim Yachman, a yeshiva student killed in combat in Gaza in December 2023, spoke about his sibling, describing him as dedicated and diligent, always pushing himself further, and committed to intensive Torah study even while serving in the field.
IDF Chief Visits Hesder Yeshiva in Yerucham
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told students at Yerucham yeshiva that their leadership is essential to Israel, calling the hesder program "a force multiplier for the IDF"
"Already upon entering here, you feel the strength in this study hall, the strength of the entire people of Israel," Zamir told the students. "I see in the hesder yeshivas leadership, responsibility, and an enormous enterprise. What emerges from these study halls is the strength and leadership of the people of Israel, and we need this leadership, unifying and cohesive leadership. The hesder yeshiva enterprise is very close to my heart and to the heart of the IDF. We see hesder yeshiva graduates in all units, on all fronts, and at the spearhead of the IDF. Our connection to our Torah strengthens the spirit, and I see great value in Torah study and in strengthening the spirit, this is a force multiplier for the IDF."
Zamir continued: "The strengthening you receive here in the study hall is a lesson for life. I see great value in the spirit and in Torah study, and the strength of the IDF is the product of material and spirit, one alone is not enough. You are a vital part within the IDF; we see you in all the units."
The heads of the Yerucham hesder yeshiva, Rabbi Chaim Wolfson and Rabbi Uriel Itam, praised the visit: "Our partnership with the IDF is foundational to what we seek to build here. For us, Torah study and responsibility for the security of the nation are not two separate worlds, but rather one path that demands both devotion to the study hall and readiness for action, for meaningful service and contribution to the state. The fact that the chief of staff comes here during the month of Elul, meets with the students, and recognizes this connection between Torah, responsibility, and Israel's security, touches precisely on our aspiration. Hesder yeshiva is not a compromise, but rather a path with depth, which seeks to cultivate people who are committed to Torah, to the nation, and to the state."
