Military Boarding School for Command

Military Boarding School for Command (הפנימייה הצבאית לפיקוד) is an educational-military institution for training youth during high school years, in a boarding school setting, for command over combat field units in the Israel Defense Forces. Graduates of the boarding schools are intended for positions as company commanders in the field units of the IDF. The two military boarding schools for command operating in the 2020s are the Military Boarding School for Command near the Reali School in Haifa and the Military-Religious Boarding School for Command "Or Etzion" in Merkaz Shapira. In the past, another military boarding school operated in Tel Aviv near the Hebrew Gymnasium Herzliya.

History
After the War of the Israeli Independence, the IDF faced a manpower crisis. To address the crisis, the IDF turned to the education system, and despite its success in establishing the academic reserve, it encountered resistance to introducing a military curriculum in high schools in the country. The idea of military boarding schools came up for discussion in the early 1950s but faced opposition from the Ministry of Education officials. In light of this, the training department personnel approached Yosef Bentwich, the head of the upper division of the Reali School at Beit Biram in Haifa, and in March 1952, after extensive correspondence, Bentwich expressed in a letter to Chief of Staff Yigael Yadin his willingness to establish a military boarding school near Beit Biram. Despite this willingness, Bentwich expressed many objections to the boarding school, and only after a conversation with Defense Minister David Ben-Gurion did he agree to establish the boarding school. On October 10, 1953, the first class began its education, and the official inauguration ceremony took place on October 22, 1953.

The military boarding school in Haifa was founded in the name and memory of Aharon Biram, the son of Arthur Biram, a graduate of the Reali School and an Air Force pilot, who was killed in the line of duty in 1951.

The first commander of the boarding school was Major Zvi Tzelner, who shaped its operational patterns. In 1965, another boarding school was established in Tel Aviv-Jaffa at the Glilot camps, where the cadets studied at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium, and in the 1980s, a religious military boarding school was established in conjunction with studies at the Or Etzion Yeshiva in the Shapira Center.

The military boarding school in Tel Aviv operated until its closure in 1984, and over the years, 16 classes completed their education there.

In 1992, a principal decision was made to transform the military boarding school in Haifa into a pre-military college, where graduates of the boarding school who chose to do so studied for a bachelor's degree at the University of Haifa for two years and then enlisted for full military service in field units.

This program continued until 1997, after which the boarding school returned to the format of regular high school studies. Starting from class 49 (1999–2003), girls have also been educated in the boarding school. As of January 2024, 17 female graduates of the boarding school have reached at least the position of company commander. In 2007, it was decided to subordinate the military boarding schools to the Inter-Branch Command and Staff College. In the second decade of the 21st century, Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot decided within the framework of the Gideon multi-year plan to close the military boarding schools, after it was claimed that the benefit derived from them did not justify their cost.

In December 2015, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon approved a decision to stop admitting new students to the two military boarding schools, thereby leading to their closure. Graduates of the boarding schools and associations on their behalf exerted pressure on politicians to prevent the closure of the boarding schools. In September 2016, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced the cancellation of Ya'alon's decision, and that the military boarding school in Haifa would remain active and be transferred to the responsibility of the Social-Defense Division in the Ministry of Defense and be managed by civilians. The decision was made after an examination by the Director-General of the Ministry of Defense, Udi Adam. In July 2017, it was decided that the Or Etzion boarding school would also continue its activities, under the Social-Defense Division in the Ministry of Defense.

On August 30, 2017, a ceremony was held at Beit Biram to transfer the military boarding school in Haifa to the management of the Ministry of Defense. In the late second decade of the 21st century, the staff of the Haifa Command Military Boarding School consists of civilians, reserve commanders who are part of the Reali School staff, which is the official operator of the boarding school on behalf of the Ministry of Defense. The commander of the boarding school is a reserve officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel or higher.

The Military Boarding School for Command Haifa
The Military Boarding School for Command near the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa is an educational institution that trains and prepares teenagers to become commanders in the IDF field units. Graduates of the boarding school are intended for positions as company commanders in the IDF field units and commit to performing at least one year and four months of permanent service, even before their official enlistment in the army. The educational process at the boarding school begins in the 10th grade, when candidates are required to undergo a series of screenings during the 9th grade to be accepted into the boarding school. The cadets, known as "Shacharim," complete all their high school studies at the Reali School and graduate with a full matriculation certificate.

Until the beginning of the first decade of the 21st century, the cadets at the boarding school began their studies in the 9th grade, and in their first year, they studied at the Ahuza branch of the Reali School. In 2013, a monument was placed at the military boarding school in memory of the "Cadet Tank Crew." It was established in memory of four graduates of the military boarding school in Haifa, from the same class, whose training in the Armored Corps Officers Course was interrupted with the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War. They were sent to join the fighting on the southern front and were assigned together in the same tank. The four graduates fought bravely and met their deaths together in the Battle of the Chinese Farm. After their deaths, the four were promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant and received the Chief of Staff's Citation. The tank monument at the Military Boarding School for Command in Haifa

Curriculum
The theoretical studies are conducted by the cadets at the Reali School in Haifa, and at the end of their studies, they are entitled to a matriculation certificate comprising about 30 study units. In parallel with the theoretical studies at the Reali School, the cadets study a 5-unit subject "Army and Security," which includes three topics: the study of the Land of Israel, military history, and the fundamentals of command. At the end of the study period, each boarding school cadet writes a final paper on which they are examined.

Commanders of the Boarding School in Haifa
Below are the names of the commanders of the Military Boarding School for Command in Haifa and their years of service in the position:

The Or Etzion Military Yeshiva for Command
Already in the late 1960s, the National Religious Party raised the issue of establishing a religious military boarding school. In the early 1980s, Rabbi Chaim Druckman responded to the request of the IDF and the Ministry of Defense to establish the Or Etzion Military Yeshiva for Command at the "Or Etzion" Yeshiva, where he served as the head of the yeshiva. The boarding school was established by Lt. Col. Pinchas Naaman as a religious military boarding school in Shapira Center. In addition, Pinchas served as the first commander of the boarding school. In 2019, the boarding school began operating under the Ministry of Defense, and its commander is Lt. Col. (Res.) Doron Hillel, a graduate of the boarding school. The Or Etzion Military Yeshiva for Command campus

Curriculum and Training Program
In the training program, the cadets of the Or Etzion Military Yeshiva for Command train and undergo content in the field of physical fitness, field reconnaissance, and navigation. As part of the theoretical studies, the cadets will study in a military track and be tested in the field, as part of the required units for matriculation. The military boarding school studies within the framework of the "Or Etzion" high school yeshiva the religious and secular studies. Additionally, the studies include a full matriculation. The cadets study in a unique track, "the military track" - within which they learn the principles of military command and leadership, battles of the Land of Israel, and military history. As enrichment, the cadets undergo several physical fitness training sessions during the week, as well as conduct debate workshops, a diving course, and a first aid course.

The Military Boarding School for Command in Tel Aviv (Closed)
Cadets of the first class of the military boarding school in Tel Aviv, 1966 The graduation ceremony of the first class, 1969 In 1965, a military boarding school was established near the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium in Tel Aviv, which operated until 1984. It was headed by Lt. Col. Baruch Levy. This boarding school was also an educational institution that trained and prepared teenagers to become commanders in the IDF field units. The graduates of the boarding school were intended for company commander positions in the IDF field units and committed to at least 3 years of permanent service, even before their official enlistment in the army. About 800 candidates registered for the first class in 1965, and 80 were accepted. Only 29 graduates completed the course. The overwhelming majority of dropouts were due to insufficient success in high school studies at the gymnasium and failure to advance to the next grade. In the following classes, the situation improved. Prime Minister Golda Meir attended the graduation ceremony of the first class in July 1969. Many journalists attended this event, thinking that the Prime Minister would make a political statement in the midst of the War of Attrition with Egypt in Sinai. In the end, she did not do so and only wished the graduates "to be healthy." In the Yom Kippur War, 6 graduates of the class (21% of the graduates) were killed. All of them, like most of the class graduates, were part of the company commanders in the armored corps, infantry, and paratroopers. The military boarding school near the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium in Tel Aviv was closed in 1984 due to a decline in the potential applicants for military command boarding schools. Among its graduates are Gabi Ashkenazi, Yoav Kutner, Ron Arad, Gal Hirsch, Eyal Zamir, and retired judge Shimon Sher (Perjon).

Studies in the Boarding School
The trainees, called "cadets," begin their studies in the military boarding schools in the 10th grade. The trainees in the boarding school study academic subjects like any other student. In addition to the regular studies, the boarding school trainees study in a military and security studies track as an extended subject for their matriculation exams. The curriculum for this subject includes military theories and doctrines, military history, as well as extensive research work. During the years of study in the boarding school, emphasis is placed on developing leadership and discipline in the trainees, both in lessons and through practical experience. During most school vacations, for half of the vacation period, the boarding school trainees go out for military training. The trainees are required to commit to a year and four months of permanent service before their enlistment in the army, in order to eventually fulfill the roles of company commanders in the field units.

Benefits, Discipline, and Conditions
The students in the military boarding schools receive a soldier's ID card and are entitled to benefits similar to those of soldiers (such as free bus rides), and they also enjoy a monthly allowance amounting to a quarter of a recruit's salary. The cadets are required to adhere to strict discipline and are expected to face trial before their commander if they break the rules (for example, if they are caught by the military police while hitchhiking). This discipline is one of the focal points of interest for students and their parents in the boarding school. Additionally, the cadets enjoy benefits such as courses (diving, parachuting, rappelling) and receive licenses for firearms. After the attack on bus line 37, in which the cadet was killed, the question of cadets' eligibility for a military funeral arose, and it was determined that a cadet is also entitled to one.

Graduates of the Boarding School
As of 2019, the officer training completion rate among graduates of the military boarding schools stands at 78%. As of 2023, the combat service completion rate among graduates of the Haifa boarding school stood at 97% and junior command at 94%. Among the graduates of the boarding schools are two Chiefs of Staff, 13 Major Generals, 33 Brigadier Generals, and 114 Colonels, the head of the "Mossad," two Major Generals in the Israel Police, and six members of the Knesset. 52 graduates of the Haifa and Tel Aviv boarding schools have received 56 decorations and commendations for their actions during their military service. Four were mentioned twice. Among the recipients of decorations and commendations is Lieutenant Moshe Tal Blumenthal, who received the Medal of Valor for his combat in Gaza during the Six-Day War. Nine graduates received the Medal of Courage, ten graduates received the Medal of Distinguished Service, and 32 graduates received commendations ranging from the brigade commander level to the Chief of Staff level. One graduate received the Civil Medal of Distinguished Service. Additionally, three graduates of the boarding schools have won the Israel Prize, and four others have won the Israel Defense Prize. 144 graduates of the military boarding schools in Haifa and Tel Aviv are IDF fallen soldiers, among them a number whose burial place is unknown, and one additional graduate is missing in action. Six graduates of the Or Etzion military boarding school are IDF fallen soldiers.

"In Quietness and Confidence" Association
"In Quietness and Confidence" is an association established in 2002 by graduates of the military boarding schools in Haifa and Tel Aviv. Its goals are to preserve the military boarding schools, provide them with a supportive framework, commemorate their graduates who fell in Israel's wars, and assist the boarding school's cadets and graduates during their military service and in their civilian lives in various aspects. The name of the association is borrowed from the motto of the military boarding school that appears on its emblem. The members of the association are graduates of the military boarding schools in Haifa and Tel Aviv, and a significant number of friends of the association. The association is managed by the CEO, Yaniv Reznik, who reports to the association's board headed by Major General (res.) Avi Mizrahi. Alongside him operates an advisory council, which as of 2014, includes Gabi Ashkenazi, Doron Almog, Herzl Bodinger, Yossi Ben-Hanan, Matan Vilnai, Giora Romm, and Amram Mitzna. Each year, the association selects a graduate who, during their military service and civilian life, fulfills the goals and values of the boarding school in a way that serves as an example to others. This graduate is awarded the "Model Graduate" medal at the association's annual conference.