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Hoshea Friedman

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Rebbe

Hoshea Friedman-Ben Shalom
Rebbe Hoshea Friedman-Ben Shalom
Born (1959-06-24) 24 June 1959 (age 65)
Reshafim, Israel
AllegianceIsrael Israel
Service / branch Israel Defense Forces
Years of service1977–2017 (active), reserve service continuing
Rank Tat aluf (Brigadier General)
Unit Golani Brigade
CommandsChief Reserve Officer, Carmeli Brigade
Battles / wars1982 Lebanon War, 2006 Lebanon War, Battle of Ayta ash-Shab
RelationsSon of Rabbi Yisrael Friedman Ben-Shalom, grandson of Rabbi Chaim Meir Hager of Vizhnitz
Other workPashkaner Rebbe

Hoshea Friedman-Ben Shalom (Hebrew: הושע אברהם פרידמן בן שלום; born June 24, 1959) is a reserve IDF officer with the rank of Brigadier General (Tat-Aluf), who served as the Chief Reserve Officer of the IDF.[1] He is currently the head of the Pre-Military Preparatory Academy of Beit Yisrael. In 2017 (5777), he was appointed the Pashkaner Rebbe after his father's passing.

Biography

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Rabbi Hoshea Friedman was born in 1959 on Kibbutz Reshafim and grew up on Kibbutz Sa'ad. He is the son of Rabbi Yisrael Friedman Ben-Shalom, the former head of Yeshivat Hesder Netivot and later the Rebbe of Pashkan, and of Tzipora, the daughter of Rabbi Chaim Meir Hager, the Rebbe of Vizhnitz and author of the "Imrei Chaim." His father, during his time as the Cultural Attaché in Paris, Hebraized the family surname from "Friedman" to "Ben-Shalom." Later, to honor the tradition of the House of Ruzhin, the family added "Friedman" back to their name. His older siblings include Yirmiyahu Friedman Ben-Shalom, Shmuel Ben-Shalom, and Dr. Menachem Ben-Shalom.

He married Orli, daughter of Micha Sagi (died 2013), a descendant of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad.

Military Career

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Friedman was drafted into the IDF in 1977 and chose to serve in the Golani Brigade. He passed the selection for the brigade's special units and was accepted into the Golani Brigade Reconnaissance Unit.[2] In Golani, he completed training as an infantry fighter, the Infantry Commanders' Course, and the Officers' Course. After completing the officers' course, Friedman returned to the brigade and served as a platoon commander in the 13th Battalion (Gideon).[3] In 1981, he was discharged from the IDF and moved to the urban kibbutz Rashit in the Bukharim Quarter of Jerusalem. That year, he became a youth counselor for a group from Boyar School Boarding School and Himmelfarb High School. In 1984, Friedman brought in another group of youths from HaKibbutz HaArtzi and The Kibbutz Movement who were performing Shnat Sherut in Jerusalem. In 1985, Friedman returned to the IDF as a company commander in Golani's 13th Battalion, bringing with him the group he had trained, with the goal of educating and preparing them to be responsible commanders in the IDF. After completing his service as a company commander, he was discharged again and, in 1992, became one of the founders of the urban kibbutz Beit Yisrael in the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem, where he still resides. In 1997, he established the Pre-Military Preparatory Academy of Beit Yisrael, with the goal of addressing social issues in Israel and promoting values of contribution and mission. Beit Yisrael Preparatory Academy was the first to integrate both religious and secular students. In 1998, he was awarded the Lieberman Prize, and in 2003, he received the Avichai Prize.[4]

In his reserve service, Friedman served as a platoon commander in the Carmeli Brigade and fought in the 1982 Lebanon War, including in the battle to capture Ain al-Hilweh, south of Sidon.[5] He later advanced to command roles in the brigade, serving as a company commander and a battalion commander. Friedman fought in the 2006 Lebanon War[6] as the deputy brigade commander, including in the Battle of Ayta ash-Shab.[7] Between 2008 and 2011, at the request of then Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi,[8] he served as the commander of the Carmeli Brigade, a reserve infantry brigade in the Northern Command.[9] In 2011, he was chosen to light a torch at the Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl, recognizing his contributions as a reserve officer. In October 2012, Friedman was appointed Chief Reserve Officer,[10] serving until July 2017.

Hoshea Friedman Ben-Shalom, Chief Reserve Officer, July 2017

Appointment as Rebbe

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The Rebbe dancing (center)

After the passing of his father in Iyar 5777 (2017), Friedman was appointed as the Rebbe of Pashkan.[11][12] Later that year, in Elul, it was reported that he preferred to be called "The Rebbe of Gilo" rather than "The Rebbe of Pashkan," so as not to offend his cousin Rabbi Yaakov Mendel Friedman, who carries the title "Rebbe of Bohush-Pashkan."[13]

Personal Life

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Rabbi Friedman is married to Orli and is the father of six:

  • Sheina Rachel Baila
  • Moshe Yehuda Leib
  • Yitzchak
  • Margalit Miriam
  • Chaim Meir
  • Sarah Devorah Bat Zion

References

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  1. ^ Roey Amos (September 18, 2013). "A Rare Glimpse into Naval Commando Training". Israel Hayom. 117315.
  2. ^ Lazar, Yaakov (October 16, 2003). "Opening Afterburners and Running Forward". Green Page.
  3. ^ Ardan, Elad (June 2008). "Climbing the Carmel". Bamahane.
  4. ^ Lazar, Yaakov (October 16, 2003). "Opening Afterburners and Running Forward". Green Page.
  5. ^ Ami El-Lavi, Naama; Shirly Hakar (May 2, 2013). "The Reservists Feel Like They Could Be Called to War at Any Moment". Bamahane.
  6. ^ Harel, Amos (November 1, 2006). "Brigadier General Hirsch: Criticism Overlooks Division 91's Achievements". Haaretz.
  7. ^ Hirsch, Gal (2009). War Story, Love Story. Yedioth Ahronoth. p. 349.
  8. ^ Rosenberg, Neriya (May 2011). "To the Glory of Israel". Mayanei HaYeshuah.
  9. ^ "Commanders of the Carmeli Brigade".
  10. ^ Livanat, Yael (March 5, 2012). "The Next Chief Reserve Officer: Colonel (res.) Hoshea Friedman". IDF Spokesperson.
  11. ^ "Meet Rabbi Hoshea Friedman, the Next "Zionist Rebbe"". Kikar HaShabbat. May 15, 2017.
  12. ^ Weisberg, Moshe (May 1, 2017). "Meet Hoshea Friedman: The First IDF Officer to Become a Rebbe". Behadrei Haredim.
  13. ^ Cohen, Yisrael (August 30, 2017). "For the First Time: The Rebbe of Gilo Will Hold a Yahrzeit Tisch". Kikar HaShabbat.

Further reading

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  • Boaz Efrat, "We Have Never Dealt So Broadly and Systematically in Strengthening the System," interview with Hoshea Friedman Ben-Shalom in the magazine Bamahane, May 7, 2015
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