Gerer Chasid Rabbi Becomes Viral Symbol of IDF Unity

 

Rav Yehuda Weitzman, a Gerer Chasid and IDF reservist, went viral after being  photographed leaving home after Shabbat carrying a Torah scroll, combat vest, and suitcase. After serving as an officer and battalion rabbi during the war, he chose to give up his rank and rejoin as a combat soldier in the IDF’s Hasmonean Brigade.

Weitzman also helped raise donations from Charedi communities for IDF soldiers. He has brought 19 Torah scrolls into combat zones, saying they help unite religious, secular, and traditional soldiers under “one people, one heart.”