I served as a combat soldier in the Netzach Yehuda brigade. After the army and the reserves, I searched for a path to my faith and service to Hashem, and nowhere really fit what I was looking for. While in the reserves, I was constantly asked about religion and faith and I didn’t really know how to answer. It convinced me that I needed to find somewhere that would give me answers to those questions. Immediately after the end of my reserve duty, a friend recommended Kochot. I tried it out for one day and found that all the questions I had for myself were being discussed. Now my faith and devotion is stronger and more successful than ever, I am expanding and deepening my relations with Hashem and Torah. Additionally, the relation classes we took helped me prepare in an incredible way for that stage of my life. I urge every discharged soldier to come to Kochot and experience a real taste of life.

I am currently 23 years old and served as a military photographer in the Netzach Yehuda brigade. I entered Kochot right after the end of my service, and have currently been here for two years. I can’t think of a better, more suitable place for me than right here. I received and still receive significant and practical values for a life filled with observation, depth, and inner joy. Kochot made me realize the abilities and strengths in me which I didn’t realize I previously had. Every day spent here leads to deeper and greater insights about life, real vibrant, interesting conversations about everything down to the smallest detail of everyday life. I’m grateful that I get to be part of something that is going to be a significant part of shaping the next and victorious generation of the people of Israel.

I served in Camp Ofer in the construction unit 562, with my main role being the supervision of the mast contract. After being released from the army, I was searching for a framework that could fill the void I felt and, more importantly, provide me with a sense of direction and purpose. I found Kochot through the Rabbis of the Netzach Yehuda Association, and I was only there for a few hours before I felt like this was the right place for me to be at. The positive atmosphere of the friends I met there and the way the classes are taught over made me feel that this is the place for me. The framework gave me a different familiarity with the Gemara, the Chumash and above all a different perspective on relationships and how they should be had in a healthy way. Through the classes here, I began to discover more of myself and what direction I want to go towards.

I am currently 25 years old and previously served in the Etzion Regional Brigade as an Operational Driver. Two years after I completed my services, I still wasn’t able to find myself, not until I found Kochot, a place that really gave mental strength and an understanding of life in the best way possible. Whether it is how to build a home and respect my wife, or learning Chovot Halevavot, a book of guidelines for a life of security and faith, learning Gemara and Chumash in a unique way which I’ve never experienced before.  The amazing Rav Chait invests his heart and soul into the program, so that after the army, soldiers can start their lives on the right path and have a true understanding of what it means to live a life of meaning. I feel grateful to Hashem every day for the amazing privilege to be able to participate and be a part of Kochot.

I was a combat soldier in the Netzach Yehuda brigade, and after the army I was in search of a place that would help guide me through Torah, spirituality and Yirat Hashem. I looked through several places before I found Kochot, which was exactly what I was looking for. It’s a place filled with positivity, one with good friends, with Rav Chait who taught me what a relationship is, where I learned how to study Torah in depth, and how to live a life filled with purpose and personal growth. Now that I have finished the program, I realize how important the learning I had done was, and how I got tools to help me through my everyday life.