Rabbi Chaim Meir Viznitzer - Veteran of the first draft
Rabbi Haim Meir Viznitzer
39 years old, married with 2 children
Veteran of the first draft of 1999
Grew up in a Vizhnitz Hassidic family and studied at Vizhnitz and Biala institutes his entire life.
“I thought about the army even before I joined the first draft of Haredi Nahal, but when I heard about the formation of a new Haredi battalion, I joined right away and rushed to be a model of success for the Haredi soldier.”
Vizhnitzer joined the first draft and was regarded as an unequivocal model of the battalion, whose payos and beard were on the front page of every newspaper, from HaMachane to Yediot Ahronot, and even David Zoldan’s book “Haredim LeGoralam”. He says that he tried to get away from all the publicity, but it followed him. Another issue, Vizhnitzer claims, is that when he was first drafted, there was no public uproar about them, the trouble only started when they wrote about them in the media, and the Haredi media opposed them.
He served in the battalion for 3 years and, among other roles, he served as commander and social guide. Since there was no “Netzah Yehuda” Reserves battalion at the time, Vizhnitzer serves as a Valley Battalion reservist to this day.
Following his release from the army, he worked at the Netzah Yehuda organization as a secretary for 3 years, following which he established a social project at a cheesery with a youth educational facility, with students operating the cheesery and the nearby restaurant. All of this is set against the pastoral backdrop of east Gush Etzion, at the foot of the Herodium, at “Sde Bar”.