Dogs and Haredim - did they both go together? The first Haredi dog handler course in the IDF will open in about three months, at Palmachim Base. Graduates of the course will be integrated into the IAF's Negev Defenders Company.
The 'Defenders of the Negev' reconnaissance unit was established following a spate of break-ins at IDF bases in the Negev, and is based on ultra-Orthodox fighters. They perform defense and security missions for Air Force bases.
The Haredi fighters who will be trained for the "dogs" mission will be stationed at the Nevatim base. Captain Moshe Frigan, the detection officer from the Shahar Air Defense Command, says: "The dogs will be part of an interception company, which employs dogs, modern weapons and sophisticated cameras that penetrate any weather." According to him, it is important for the Haredi to also fill positions of this type, in order to prove that they are no different from regular soldiers and that they are "equal fighters among equals.".
The new project is receiving a lot of interest, and the Air Force is currently working on locating dog handlers and planning the course itinerary, tailored to the needs of ultra-Orthodox soldiers.
The "Haredi Dogs" project joins the process of integrating Haredi soldiers into additional units. This year, for the first time, soldiers from the Haredi company attended a medic course and a combat training course.
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