Combat Haredi Hesder Yeshiva Visits Auschwitz

Photo Credit: Courtesy

Haredi combat hesder yeshiva soldiers visit Auschwitz.

Dozens of students from the Combat Haredi Hesder Yeshiva recently returned from a transformative journey in Poland, a trip that deeply connected them to their roots, their history, and most importantly, to themselves. This was no ordinary trip, but a powerful educational and emotional experience that exposed these young Haredi men—on the cusp of their conscription into meaningful combat service—to the profound suffering and the heroic spirit of the Jewish people during the Holocaust.

The journey took them to extermination camps, mass graves, and poignant memorials. The students walked in somber silence through the barracks of Auschwitz, lit yahrzeit candles in the Children’s Forest, and recited Kaddish near the death pits. Between silence and tears, they sang quiet melodies that resonated in the very places where the song of life for millions of Jews was tragically interrupted.

Haredi combat hesder yeshiva soldiers visit Auschwitz. / Courtesy

However, not everything was marked by sorrow. Alongside remembrance and pain, the journey also featured moments of strength and faith. The students visited the graves of the righteous, and there, on the cold soil of Poland, the sound of singing, praying, and even dancing echoed—testaments to the Jewish spirit’s small victory over those who sought to destroy it.

One of the most moving moments occurred in the “Children’s Forest,” where thousands of Jewish children were murdered. In this deeply charged place, Rabbi Chaim Bar Zakai, one of the yeshiva’s rabbis and the tour guide, presented personal letters written by the parents to each of the students. Words of love, encouragement, and blessings greeted the boys in this unexpected location, and many were overwhelmed with emotion. “This is the most powerful moment I have ever experienced in my life,” one student shared.

“This isn’t just a journey of remembrance,” another student reflected. “This journey reminded me why I want to serve, why it’s important for me to be part of my people—in body, heart, and faith.”

Haredi combat hesder yeshiva soldiers visit Auschwitz. / Courtesy

The Combat Haredi Hesder Yeshiva is a groundbreaking model within the Haredi community, combining Torah study with combat service driven by a profound sense of mission. The trip to Poland was not merely a history lesson—it was a lesson in life, and, most of all, in the heart.

Rabbi Chaim Bar Zakai concluded: “This journey was far more than just a historical lesson—it was an experience of identity, connection, and responsibility. Standing with Haredi yeshiva students, just before their conscription into the IDF, and hearing them sing niggunim in a place where they tried to silence the Jewish voice—this is the strongest answer to evil.”