Otzem (mechina)
Religious pre-military academy (mechina) uprooted from Atzmona in Gush Katif in 2005 and now at Naveh in the Halutza sands
| Otzem pre-military academy
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Pre-military academy (mechina) |
| Headquarters | Naveh, Halutza sands, western Negev |
| Remarks | Originally at Atzmona, a Gush Katif settlement in the Gaza Strip[1] |
Otzem is a religious pre-military academy (mechina). Israel National News reported in 2011 that "the Otzem pre-military academy was demolished in the expulsion from Gush Katif", that "Of the roughly 1,300 young men who have passed through its doors, 90% have gone on to combat units", and that its new campus "is located in Neve, in the sands of Halutza on the Israel-Egypt border".[1] The Joint Council of Pre-Military Academies describes "The Otzem Pre-military Torah Academy in Naveh, which was uprooted from Atzmona".[2]
Location
Its original site, Atzmona, was a settlement in the Gush Katif bloc in the Gaza Strip, evacuated in 2005.[1] Naveh, its present site, is in the western Negev inside the 1949 armistice lines.
Link to IDF service
According to the 2011 report, 90% of its graduates went on to combat units.[1] Pre-military academies (mechinot) are gap-year programmes that prepare young Israelis for service in the Israel Defense Forces; an IDF report in 2013 found that 79.5% of mechina graduates enlisted in combat units.[3] See Mechinot.
UK funding
| UK charity | Year | Amount | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamid | 2024/25 | £1,000 | Grant to "Atzmona/Otzem" (matched by name only) | [4] |
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Maayana Miskin, After 6 Years, IDF Academy 'Otzem' Gets a Home Israel National News, 31 August 2011, viewed 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Joint Council of Pre-Military Academies, A winning spirit mechinot.org.il, 7 February 2024, viewed 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Maayana Miskin, Twice as Many Officers from Premilitary Academies Israel National News, 26 May 2013, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Tamid (1133194): accounts and annual returns Register of Charities; latest accounts downloaded 16 October 2026 ("PDF p." = page of the PDF file).