“The Chain of Hebrew Soldiers” Reconsidering “Religionization” within an IDF Bible Seminar

דתיים -חילונים הדתה זהות יהודית-ישראלית חברה ישראלית צה"ל תנ"ך תרבות יהודית

This ethnographic study analyzes the educational and religious tensions within the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) by examining a specialized Bible seminar. The authors explore how the military attempts to use biblical narratives to strengthen "Jewish Consciousness" and national identity among soldiers. The research reveals a gap between the institution's official goals - which aim for a professional and nationalistic interpretation of the text - and the participants' personal, often individualized, responses. By documenting these interactions, the study challenges the simplistic narrative of "religionization" (Hadata) in the military, suggesting instead that soldiers navigate these educational encounters through a complex lens of personal identity and secular-religious negotiation.