Responding to the Supreme Court, IDF officials document that 12,843 chareidim will be drafted, of which 9,527 have already received draft notices.
1,812 talmidei yeshivos are set for induction this month, Israel Radio reported on Wednesday morning, 8 Teves 5774.
While only a handful of talmidim have been arrested in recent days, this number can be expected to increase significantly is the talmidim do not report for duty as required by law. The split among gedolei yisrael shlita continues, regarding the draft registration process. Gedolim in Bnei Brak feel talmidei yeshivos should cooperate to the point of reporting to an induction center and filling out basic paperwork while HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Auerbach Shlita remains adamantly opposed to any and all cooperation with IDF authorities.
While visiting Dimona and speaking with students this week, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon reaffirmed his opposition to arresting talmidei yeshivos who do not comply with the draft law. While he told students he agrees this is not a fair practice, it is a practical one as the number of chareidim in Nachal Chareidi, Shachar and national service continue to increase annually. He fears that not only will the current policy not achieve its intended goal; it may boomerang and result in those serving today joining ranks with their fellow chareidim and the progress made over the past 13 years may be lost entirely.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
They have issued their challenge. The Non-zionist hareidim (Eidah hareidis) have made clear they will resist. The real question is whether those hareidim who have made their peace with the zionists (who fly the zionist flag on occasion, who enlist when they leave yeshiva, who live in subsidized communities, whose livlihoods are based on zionist subsidies and grants, etc.) will choose to resist and pay a tremendous economic price, or whether they will back down and submit. If only the EIdah Hareidis is resisting, it will be noisy but that’s all. If Degel ha-Torah, Shas and Agudah resist it will be revolutionary.
Some gedolim have their students cooperate but not sign while others remain adamantly opposed to any and all cooperation with IDF authorities.
The split among gedolei yisroel will soon stop and will join forces. This week a student who cooperated and went to fill out the forms but did not sign as he was told was immediately arrested. No different than those who do not cooperate at all.