The IDF Atidim Directorate is expanding its programs to additional communities, with an emphasis on the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) population, and has opened a new engineering track.
Under the Pa’amei Atidim program, dozens of students from the haredi and other minority communities will study at Ariel University’s Practical Engineering College and earn a diploma before they enlist.
Upon completing the new program, the enlistees will join leading technological units in the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate and complete a full academic degree in engineering during their military service.
The Atidim Directorate operates through civilian and defense cooperation. Its main purpose is to identify, screen, guide, and support prospective recruits and students from Israel’s periphery and special populations as they pursue academic and technological tracks in the IDF.
“This is a step that opens up a world that until now was almost entirely closed to the haredi public, combining higher education in engineering and technology in a dedicated and adapted framework,” an IDF spokesperson said. “They will subsequently join core technological units in Military Intelligence and throughout the IDF.”
IDF needs people from all backgrounds with higher education
The opening ceremony was attended by Dr. Yocheved Pinhasi-Adi, CEO of the Practical Engineering College at Ariel University; Lt.-Col. Peleg, head of the IDF’s Atidim Directorate; and the head of the directorate’s haredi section.
“On Sunday, we marked the opening of the new track,” Peleg said. “First and foremost, this is your moment, as you begin a new path. It is also a major opportunity for everyone to take part in the IDF’s technological activity.”
“Military Intelligence and the technological units need talented people from every part of Israeli society,” he said. “This track gives you an entry point into the world of engineering and allows you to combine your studies with meaningful service at the heart of the IDF’s technological activity, while accommodating your way of life.”
“Intelligence and technological work depend on people who think differently, come from different backgrounds, and bring diverse perspectives with them,” Peleg added. “The more we succeed in bringing high-quality people from the broad mosaic of Israeli society into our ranks, the more we strengthen our professional capabilities as well. When suitable frameworks are created, and opportunities are opened, everyone benefits: you, we in the IDF, and the entire country.”