According to observers, an unprecedented number of synagogues have been erected in the army, while more old synagogues have been renovated.

“Dozens of synagogues were built or renovated between 2005 and 2015 as part of a growing trend, pushed directly by the military rabbinate,” says a former senior officer in the education corps.

“The obvious explanation for the massive building of synagogues is meeting the needs of the religious, as more and more of them are being drafted,” says Prof. Yagil Levy, a researcher from the Open University.

“However, it’s not obvious. The rate of synagogue building seems in all likelihood to exceed the rate of increase in religious recruits. The number of yarmulke wearers has been stable for years. The change is mainly in their presence in the combat units, but synagogues are built not only there.”