IDF Rosh Hashanah Prep: 9.6 Tons Honey, 103 Tons Fish

Rosh Hashanah is here, and the IDF's preparations began months ago. Behind the holiday meals and equipment reaching soldiers in operational sectors stands a vast logistics system tasked with serving all troops, from permanent bases to forces maneuvering in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria and Judea and Samaria.

The scale of the operation is staggering: the IDF purchased approximately 9.6 tons of honey, 12 tons of apples, 12 tons of pomegranates, 14 tons of vegan patties, 15 tons of honey cakes, 35 tons of chicken, roughly 103 tons of fish and approximately 41 tons of beef for the holiday.

Nine Months of Preparation

According to the head of the IDF Food Branch, Brigadier General B., preparations for the High Holidays begin right after Passover, with the procurement and planning process actually starting nine months before the holiday.

In an interview, she explains that the work is conducted in coordination with the Military Rabbinate, the Medical Corps and food technology specialists, aiming to accommodate the diverse populations serving in the IDF.

Three Main Delivery Tracks

The first track consists of cooking kitchens. Battalions and outposts in Judea and Samaria have cooking facilities, and some posts in the Gaza sector receive similar service.

These kitchens receive all holiday items alongside a variety of fish, meat and poultry. The IDF ensures all the traditional holiday symbols arrive, pomegranates, dates, honey, beets, apples and other items needed for the blessings. This year's preparations even included clementines as a new seasonal fruit for the Shehecheyanu blessing.

The second track serves the large kitchens. Due to the unusual sequence of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the IDF reinforced kitchens with food items designed to shorten preparation time and ease kitchen workload.

Among other items, the military purchased beef that underwent partial cooking, so kitchens only need to complete the preparation and add sauce.

The third track is designed for sectors where operating a cooking kitchen isn't possible, Lebanon, Gaza, Syria and certain points in Judea and Samaria.

How Holiday Meals Reach the Front Lines

In these sectors, full catering is provided. Soldiers receive a holiday meal and a cold meal that arrives chilled and is heated using methods suitable for maintaining the holiday's sanctity.

Alongside the meal, forces receive a complete holiday kit including the traditional symbols, wine for Kiddush and items needed for the blessings.

The IDF seeks to enable every soldier, even those far from home in complex operational conditions, to observe holiday customs and experience the Rosh Hashanah atmosphere.

Behind the holiday feast stand significant quantities of food. As noted, purchases include approximately 103 tons of various fish types, including tilapia, tuna and fish patties.

Additionally, the military acquired roughly 41 tons of beef, including asado and number-5 cuts, approximately 35 tons of chicken, about 15 tons of honey cakes and roughly 14 tons of vegan patties.

Added to this are 9.6 tons of honey, 12 tons of apples and 12 tons of pomegranates, alongside desserts and additional food items.

Three Kashrut Standards and Support for Haredi Soldiers

The preparations include accommodating the diverse kashrut standards and dietary needs of soldiers.

The Military Rabbinate defines requirements for different populations, and procurement follows its guidelines.

The IDF notes that cooking kitchens provide three main kashrut standards: Badatz Edah Haredit, Badatz Rabbi Landau and Badatz Mehadrin. Whenever possible, the same food items are purchased under multiple certifications simultaneously to serve different populations.

For example, chicken and asado are purchased under different kashrut standards.

In units where the kitchen cannot provide a particular kashrut standard, ready-made meals with appropriate certification are supplied.

The service includes haredi soldiers serving in operational sectors, including the Yonatan Battalion of the Hashmonaim Brigade.

A Three-Day Holiday: The Logistics Challenge

This year presents a special challenge for the logistics system. Rosh Hashanah falls on a Friday-Saturday-Sunday sequence, requiring special preparations in kitchen equipment as well.

For maneuvering forces without cooking kitchens, the challenge is particularly significant, since regular heating and cooking methods cannot be used during the holiday.

Therefore, the IDF reinforced kitchen equipment and related gear, including Shabbat timers for warming cabinets.

"On a regular Shabbat it's much simpler. Here we're dealing with a long holiday, so we needed to provide kitchen equipment suitable for the holiday's duration," explains the head of the IDF Catering Division, Colonel A.

The preparations don't end when food leaves for delivery. Simultaneously, the IDF maintains emergency reserves and additional food items, including frozen trays, to enable response in case of changes in the security situation or large-scale mobilization.

Each maneuvering brigade maintains reserves of various items, including holiday foods, meats and ready-made meals, so that even if operational reality changes on short notice, food supply to forces can continue.

The Logistics Directorate emphasizes that during prolonged warfare, food is far more than a basic need.

"Food has long ceased to be just food, it's a very central morale event in fighting spirit," senior officials say.

Behind the soldier's holiday feast lie months of planning, dozens and hundreds of tons of food, transport systems, kitchens, suppliers and dedicated equipment. The goal is ultimately simple: even a soldier far from home, sometimes deep in enemy territory, can celebrate Rosh Hashanah and feel the holiday atmosphere.