IDF Chief of Personnel Major-General Orna Barvibai was set to visit Bnei Brak on Tuesday, 27 Kislev, to get her fist look at the torah city. The senior officer was scheduled to meet with community leaders, visit yeshivos and speak with chareidi representatives about the issue of drafting talmidim into the military.
The visit was canceled, and it appears the senior officer prefers to invite chareidi representatives to visit with her in a military facility rather than risk a most unwelcome arrival in Bnei Brak by talmidim and avreichim. Barvibai has been outspoken in her view that everyone must serve in the IDF. She was also strongly against soldiers who walked out of performances involving kol isha and is not embraced by the frum community or soldiers.
The daily Yisrael HaYom reports that the visit was canceled due to “internal chareidi politics.”
The IDF Spokesman’s Office explains that the military is working to have the relevant persons become more familiar with the chareidi community ahead of the induction of chareidim but at the behest of Bnei Brak City Hall, this visit was pushed off and it appears the meeting will take place in a military facility.
Bnei Brak City Hall explains the mayor is unable to meet with the major-general as planned, but he was willing to reschedule the event in Bnei Brak.
Ynet reports that this would have been a most significant visit, the first time that a chief of personnel was making such an effort, to visit the city and obtain a firsthand look at the lifestyle as attempt to develop a better understanding for this population.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
The IDF is scared of Bnei Brak? They weren’t scared of Gaza (it was the politicians who decided not to invade). It is hanukah, so maybe they are afraid what would happen if they launch their war against Torah. In all fairness, Ha-Shem has a better record in conflicts than, for example, the Palestinians.
Does this air head live on the dark side of the Moon? In what CHILLONI ghetto has see been hiding that she must make an official visit to see how Jews live?
The most likely reason for the cancellation of this “visit” is that no one was willing to meet with her.
I suspect that the real intention for this was to provoke violence against her for the benefit of her anti-Torah political patrons. The upper ranks of the IDF are notoriously infested with Torah haters and we are before elections. Furthermore, the Torah haters are falling apart and need something to stir up the hatreds of their voters so as to arouse interest in their political parties. What better way than to send in a female IDF officer and have her attacked while on a “peace mission?”
It is because of people like her that Yidden should not go to the army. Because she is unaccepting of the rules of Jewish life. If she and the IDF would be more accepting of the rules Jews INCLUDING HER IDF service might be a possibility