Kodcode – Urgency fosters innovation

By Paula Filler, JFNA National Women in Philanthropy Board Member

During my recent participation in a JFNA mission to Germany and Israel, my group of Jewish Federation leaders had an opportunity to understand how our philanthropic efforts support Jewish and other Ukrainian refugees living in Germany and the pressing human needs of Israel.

As you may know, there is a critical shortage of IDF soldiers available to fight the simultaneous war fronts in Gaza, the north and the west bank. Through your generous support of Israel, a new and innovative program was started months ago called Kodcode.

Aaron Fruchtman described the program, which is designed to prepare Heredi men for technical service in the defense of the Israeli people. One Heredi man who recently completed the program explained that his orthodox studies did not prepare him for the IDF. Furthermore, he admitted that his years of studying the Torah and Jewish Law did not even give him the ability to earn a living. He explained that he was unemployable, because he had no knowledge of math, English or any technical skills.

The new Kodcode program trains Heredi men in math, English and coding skills so that they can support the IDF in noncombatant roles. When the Kodcode program was announced, 2,000 Heredi men between the ages of 21-27 expressed interest. After careful selection and six months of intense training, 200 of the original Heredi applicants successfully completed the program and are now supporting the defense of Israel.

In July 2024, the Israeli Supreme Court decided that Heredi men would no longer be exempt from IDF service. JFNA’s support of an innovative program, has become a model for serving Israel’s needs to defend itself while also giving orthodox men skills that they can use after the war to earn a living.