On Wednesday, Rabbi Eitan Shenrav, the rabbi of reserve IDF battalion 8101, received an award from the director of the Rabbinate Division in the IDF, Rabbi Shilo Adler, and the head of the IDF Yehudah and Shomron Division, Rafi Mila, for “his efforts and awareness in identifying and acting against terrorists next to the town of Har Bracha.”

The incident took place on Tuesday when Rabbi Shenrav and an assistant were checking the eruv around their base in Samaria. An eruv is an area enclosed by a wire boundary for the purpose of a rabbinic allowance to carry objects on the Sabbath.

In an interview with Arutz Sheva, Rabbi Shenrav described the event.

“They called me to check the eruv wires,” Rabbi Shenrav said. “We went around the outpost. We also went down the slopes below the posts to see if the wires were standing properly. We circled the entire post and suddenly I saw two Palestinians watching the base. They hid behind a rock. One came out while the other remained hidden. That’s how they watched the base from all sides. I called a fast-response squad and within a few minutes, in a nice and quiet operation, they flanked them from the left and surprised them from the west. The terrorists simply did not have time to resist. They immediately surrendered, dropping their weapons and knives.”

Rabbi Shenrab emphasized that the rabbis of the battalion are also fighters, a tradition he learned from his rabbi. “We have been in the battalion for 20 years and along with our role as rabbis, we are also active in fighting.”

“Of course, after the event was over, we checked the Eruv and thank God, everything was in order. And I also want to thank Rabbi Rav Oren Rivlin.”

“The wonderful Sabbaths of the battalion at the post and especially here in the Golani Brigade, including the meals and prayers, are the very image of the Jewish people in all our glory. This includes both the religious and non-religious soldiers. Of course, we all thank the wives and children who remain alone on Shabbat while the men serve.”