Shlomi, Moshe and Eli — young Haredi men in their 20s — once immersed solely in Talmud and Torah study, now sit in a classroom learning about electronic circuits and voltage resistance. Through the KodCode program, they’re preparing for tech and intelligence roles with the “Defense Ministry,” in a way that is meant to allow them to maintain their religious values.

“I didn’t sign up for the program out of any ideology, but I am happy to get the work experience with the army if it can help me in my job search in the future,” said Moshe, who is not yet married. “The studies are very intense, but I will have a full profession when I complete the program and finish serving in the army.”

With the subject of army service for Haredi men a sensitive subject within the community, KodCode is careful about how it bills itself when recruiting students, noted Aaron Fruchtman, vice president of JBH (Jewish Brain in Hitech), the nonprofit that launched the KodCode program two years ago. In its advertising and notices via Haredi WhatsApp groups and digital campaigns, KodCode presents itself as a course enabling Haredi men to study for technical careers within the Defense Ministry, rather than in the military, to avoid conflict and confrontation. (This is not a lie, but a strategic truth: The military is, technically, part of the Defense Ministry.) 

“KodCode is creating a model for Haredi integration into the Defense Ministry while at the same time enabling them to maintain their Haredi identity and attain a career at the same time,” said Fruchtman.

Though KodCode — a play-on-words referring to both computer code and the Israeli military term “kodkod,” meaning a commander — has not been publicly approved by rabbis in the Haredi world, but neither has it been criticized by them, he noted.

Efforts to draft Haredi men into the Israel Defense Forces remain stalled despite a June 2024 Supreme Court ruling mandating enlistment and cutting yeshiva funding to those whose students fail to respond to draft notices. While over 24,000 draft notices have been issued since July 2024, only about 1,200 Haredi men have entered the enlistment process, according to media reports. Enforcement is weak, with widespread noncompliance and minimal consequences, creating a fierce social divide, one that has existed for decades but has taken on fresh urgency as other parts of Israeli society have been sending soldiers to the frontlines for more than 18 months. Haredi parties have escalated pressure on the coalition, boycotting legislation and threatening to dissolve the government unless blanket military exemptions are enshrined in law.

Like the other students interviewed, Moshe requested that his last name not be used so as to avoid conflicts within the community, though all said their families were supportive of their studies.

“If I can serve in the army in a noncombat unit that allows me to continue with my Haredi values, this track is accepted by my family,” said Shlomi, who sports long peot.

In April, KodCode signed a matching fund agreement with the Labor Ministry, matching philanthropic donations with funding from the ministry up to NIS 22 million ($6.3 million) total over two years.

The program model, which provides manpower to the army and a subsequent career for Haredi men, is the path for the future, Moshe Gurt, chief of staff to the CEO of the Labor Ministry, told eJewishPhilanthropy as he completed a visit to the program’s satellite Jerusalem campus recently.

“Today, the army understands that a lot of soldiers are going into noncombat units and they need both,” said Gurt. “We really believe that this is the solution for the community, not just for the army. It’s going to be very hard in today’s complex situation with [the Haredi] community to draft young men into combat units. But nobody is saying anything against programs like KodCode. Everybody is accepting it quietly — including the rabbis and the families. The first solution is for the soldiers, for the army, and the second solution is that in the end, they can go out and work. Let’s say we’re hitting two apples with one shot.”

Programs such as KodCode are even more critical considering that, despite Haredim representing roughly 14% of the Israeli population, 24% of first graders in Israel are in the Haredi educational system and are not receiving basic instruction in English and math, said JBH’s chairman, Ori Eisenberg.

“It’s almost a quarter of Israel’s population and growing. It is not demographic projection — these children have already been born,” said Eisenberg. “The question is whether this demographic will be a drag on the Israeli economy, a drag on society, and become welfare cases, or can we find ways to bridge this unique society in a way that will be respectful and appreciative of what they bring. We’re not trying to change them to not be Haredi, but just using these models that we know are possible from the United States and Canada. Innovation is often needed, and there is a way to do it and to cruise under the radar, but it must be done.”

On Oct. 7, 2023, as the Hamas attacks in southern Israel began, some Haredi students even broke the Simchat Torah holiday and reported for duty as it was a matter of pikuach nefesh, life and death, he said, and have continued to do so throughout the war.

“If you zoom out, the idea that hundreds of Haredi men are able to be in a position where they can take critical roles in security in the IDF, it’s something that was unfathomable a few years back,” said Eisenberg.

Many students arrive to the course with limited formal education, often lacking a proper foundation in subjects like math and English, said Fruchtman.

“Some of the students don’t know the ABCs but they have extensive learning skills because they studied…in yeshivas, so they do have the ability to study. It’s a very intensive schedule,” Fruchtman said.

In addition to intensive math and English classes — required for passing standardized matriculation exams — the six-month course offers a programming track with 350 students and an electronics track with 150 students per session at its Petach Tikvah and Jerusalem campuses. They aim to increase enrollment to over 600 this year and expand offerings to include new tracks in mapping and language analysis, as well as training for electricians and other vocational careers, Fruchtman said.

The program also allows time for some Torah studies and prayers, including evening activities for non-married students, as is customary in yeshivot. Each student also receives a stipend.

KodCode exemplifies a model of how Haredi men could be integrated into the IDF while respecting the needs of the community, said Eric Goldstein, CEO of UJA-Federation of New York, which is among the funders of the program. Other supporters include founding partner Maimonides Fund as well as 2025 funders Stef Wertheimer Foundation, Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Kirsh Foundation and Gandyr Foundation.

“We see this as a model for how inclusive, forward-looking philanthropy can drive systemic change and unlock the full potential of Israeli society,” Goldstein said in a statement.

Fruchtman said 1,800 Haredi men responded to JBH’s last enrollment campaign, with 1,000 completing the written application form. Of the 500 who continued through testing and psychological interviews, 250 were accepted. Most students are married, ages 21–29, and 80% complete the course and join the army, he said.

KodCode students, who are not required to wear uniforms, go on to six months of advanced training with the army before typically serving an additional 30 months or up to 60 months in the more advanced units.

Eli, whose wife encouraged him to apply for the program, said he views completing the course and gaining technical experience through the IDF, all within a framework that respects his Haredi values, as the ticket to honorably supporting his future family.

“It helps us in the future get better jobs,” he said. “Nobody hires somebody without experience, so the most important thing is the experience we gain.”