“The IDF is the most moral army in the world.”

Colonel Richard Kemp, retired British Army officer (Israel’s Channel 2 News) 

“Israel made unprecedented efforts to avoid civilian casualties exceeding international standards.”

High Level Military Group, consisting of military experts from Australia, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Spain, following Operation Protective Edge, 2015

The state of Israel was established just a few years after the Holocaust, as a haven for the Jewish people – a place where, after 2000 years without a land to call their own, they would finally be safe, protected against persecution, antisemitism, and genocide. Inevitably, together with the state, a military force was established – the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the world’s only (predominantly) Jewish army, which for the past 76 years has defended the world’s only Jewish state, bringing a sense of pride and security to Jews everywhere. As such it has been imbued with Jewish and humanistic values since its earliest beginnings.

The IDF is unique because alongside courage, soldierly conduct, and combat skills, it teaches an ethical approach to military action, promoting principles like: the Purity of Arms – whereby military weapons and power are used only for their mission and never turned against noncombatants; the Follow Me! ethic – meaning that commanders are always at the forefront, leading their soldiers into battle; and perhaps above all, the Sanctity of Life, deeply rooted in the age-old moral code of Judaism. Moreover, as the people’s army, the IDF plays a meaningful role in the lives of most Israelis, serving as a meeting ground for all sectors of Israel’s multicultural population. Thus, holding a unique and integrative position in Israeli society, the IDF fosters diversity while laying foundations for shared beliefs and social unity.

To live up to its high moral standards and key national functions, to be able to implement ethical values even in the most complex and challenging situations, the Israeli military continually instills the unique Spirit of the IDF in all servicemembers, from fresh recruits to the high command.

Beit Morashsa – promoting moral fitness & values-based leadership

Beit Morasha has been working for more than three decades to promote values-based leadership, moral fitness, and Jewish identity in Israeli society and throughout the Jewish world. Partnering with the IDF and other Israeli security forces, we have developed a range of specifically targeted programs for servicemembers and commanders in all ranks of the Israeli military.  The goal of all these programs is the same: teaching soldiers to apply their ethical and moral values to the complex situations encountered in every-day military action.

Through the decades, Beit Morasha’s unique training models and exceptional instructors have produced generations of ethically motivated and knowledgeable soldiers and commanders. Altogether, we have been instrumental in enhancing the moral fitness of 10,000 IDF commanders and 300,000 soldiers – shaping the identity and worldview of Israel’s future leaders and citizens.

Beit Morasha continually responds to the changing needs and moods of Israeli society and its security forces, initiating and tailoring original programs for different groups and various purposes: