While Israel finds itself struggling with a shortage of soldiers in the midst of a war, a record-breaking number of international students at Yeshivat Har Etzion are volunteering to pick up arms. This week, 32 overseas students from the prestigious yeshiva will be drafting into the IDF alongside their Israeli peers – the highest number in the yeshiva’s 56-year history.
The remarkable surge represents more than just statistics. It reflects a profound transformation that began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking hundreds hostage.
Yeshivat Har Etzion, founded in 1968, operates as a Hesder yeshiva that combines intensive Torah study with mandatory military service. While most students are Israelis who are legally obligated to do national service, the yeshiva has also built an extraordinary track record with international students. Over its five-decade history, more than 30% of its 4,000 overseas alumni have made aliyah (immigrated). Most years, only a handful draft to the army immediately after their time in the yeshiva, but this year’s numbers tell an entirely different story.
October 7 changed everything
“The students drafting this week are currently completing their second year at Har Etzion. They began their Israel year in August 2023, but Oct. 7 changed everything,” explains Rav Moshe Taragin, one of the yeshiva’s senior educators.
“The war didn’t just affect them – it awakened something deeper. Their connection to Klal Yisrael intensified, driving them to learn with greater purpose, pray with passion, and step up wherever help was needed. That dedication has led to the record-breaking recruitment numbers this year.”
Among those drafting is “A.,” a student from Riverdale, New York, who will serve in the Kfir Brigade as part of a 40-man group from the yeshiva – ten of whom began as overseas students. His path to this decision wasn’t planned.
“No one pushed us to do army service, but on Simchat Torah when we saw so many others from the Yeshiva get an emergency call and pick up and go... well, I saw them all going out to protect the Jewish people and I knew that I wanted to be a part of that,” A. recalls. “It wasn’t easy for my family to adjust to my decision at first, but now they’re proud of me.”
Another student, “Y.” from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will be joining a tank unit alongside both Israeli and overseas peers from Har Etzion. He explains that he was motivated by both idealistic and social considerations.
“I always wanted to be a part of building up and defending the Jewish state,” Y. says. “The more time I spent in Yeshiva, the more I felt part of the ethos of the Yeshiva, a value system that emphasizes both the Torah and the people of Israel. With time, I identified more and more with the Israeli students my age, and then it just became clear to me that if they were drafting, I should, too.”
The drafting overseas students, who come from seven countries world wide, will serve across various military units, including infantry, armored battalions, and logistics. But their service won’t mean abandoning their spiritual and academic pursuits entirely. The yeshiva has worked to create a support system that honors both their military commitment and their continued connection to Torah study.
A. will actually continue living on the yeshiva campus during his service – an arrangement that speaks to the institution’s commitment to supporting these students’ dual identity as soldiers and scholars. “I love the learning, and hope I’ll get to continue with it when I’m on breaks from the army,” he says. “Just being here will make me feel very much at home.”
Both students emphasize that the yeshiva provided crucial support for their decision, helping them navigate complex bureaucratic processes and offering preparatory classes to ease their transition from study hall to military service.
“We’ve watched these young men transform over the course of their two years here,” says Eli Weber, head of the Dr. William Major Overseas Program at Har Etzion. “Oct. 7 didn’t just change Israel – it changed them. Our approach is to treat them like the adults they are, giving them independence to succeed on their own while ensuring they know we’re here for whatever support they need.
“While we’ll deeply miss their voices in the Beit Midrash (study hall), seeing them choose to stand alongside their Israeli brothers in defense of our people fills us with tremendous pride,” Weber says. “We wish them a meaningful service and hope to have them back here soon.”