Over 10% of the eligible males in the Shomron community of Yishuv Eli were called to duty during Operation Cast Lead, leaving many mothers and children alone, a reality that is not a foreign one in this unique town, home to many Shomer Shabbos career officers.

Eli was established in Elul 1984, and has since grown to some 630 families, and home to the Bnei David IDF Preparatory Yeshiva, the first in Israel, under the direction of Rabbi Eli Sadan, the rosh yeshiva, and Rabbi Yigal Levenstein, a senior IDF reserves office and mashgiach of the yeshiva.

These two dynamic individuals have built an empire, now over 20 years old, having placed over 1,500 soldiers and officers in the IDF, with the overwhelming majority serving in combat units, many the most elite units in the military. Over 50% of the graduates become officers, and many remain as career personnel, as is evident in the vibrant young community. Rav Sadan is considered by many as the “father of all Mechinot yeshivas”.

One resident, Tamar Assaf, a mother of 5, knows exactly what this is about since her husband is one of the career officers, a graduate of the yeshiva. During the Gaza War, their daughter Shai celebrated her bas mitzvah, but they did not go ahead as planned, but decided on a smaller version since “Shai and her siblings understand that during a war, there are things considerably more important than a private family simcha, a time when Am Yisrael must focus on the tzibur, on the public needs”, Tamar explained.

While Shai’s dad did manage to make an extremely brief appearance at the bas mitzvah, he was basically out of the home for three weeks, something that is not at all strange to the wives and children of career officers.

Perhaps to some it is surprising, but the number of soldiers in Eli called to service during the Gaza War was actually relatively low. During the Second Lebanon War, over 50% of the eligible males in the yishuv were called to active service, including the career personnel and reservists. There are over 100 combat officers living in the community, which believes that not only is there no contradiction between military service and a Torah life, but the two belong together, part of the responsibility of the Torah-observant community.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)