In the wake of the war and the need for a civilian rapid response in emergencies, the students of Chedvata Charedi Hesder yeshivah in the city of Nesher have begun to take an advanced first aid course through Magen David Adom, which will provide the yeshivah students with the knowledge and training to aid residents of the city in times of emergency.
This is the first Charedi yeshivah to make the effort to train yeshivah students in first aid in Israel, a breakthrough in the yeshivah world which could provide immediate and rapid assistance in times of emergency.
The Chedvata-Nesher Yeshivah, headed by Rabbi David Weitzman, is an branch of the network of Hesder or pre-military yeshivahs initiated and founded by Rabbi Yonathan Reiss, who brings a different approach for Charedi young men who don’t find their place in the ordinary yeshivah world.
The Chedvata yeshivah is different from other Charedi yeshivahs in that they learn religious studies in the morning and study to complete their high school matriculation requirements or study for a BA combined with technological and combat-related military service. They are already serving in the current war in a variety of important roles in elite and cyber units.
Rabbi Yonathan Reiss, Director of the Chedvata network of yeshivahs said that “the Chedvata yeshivah teaches its students to be integrated into Israeli society whether in enlisting in military service at the vanguard of technological and combat units or in contributing to the community. We bring a new spirit of Torah and work to the city of Nesher, yeshivah students will become an inseparable part of the city and will strengthen it by integrating into civil society as first response teams in emergencies. On the Shabbat of October 7, we understood how much importance every citizen has who can do their part and provide an immediate response until the rest of the forces arrive.”
Yagel Assad, director of the Magen David Adom emergency readiness project said that “in these times since the outbreak of the war, Magen David Adom, the national rescue organization of Israel, is training the broader public and yeshivah students in first aid courses for no cost in order to make the knowledge and tools for saving lives in routine and emergencies accessible to provide a first response until the arrival of rescue teams. We are happy to see the students of the Chedvata yeshivah take part in a life-saving project.”