Life for frum Jews in the IDF under IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Gadi Eizenkott has been anything but a picnic. The Chief of Staff has significantly neutralized the authority of the Military Rabbinate, and soldiers are faced with religious issues all too often. One of these issues is sporting a beard, which has always been permitted in the past for religious personnel and persons with medical reasons for not shaving.
No less than fifty religious soldiers assigned to the Homefront Command have been ordered on Thursday, 8 Tammuz, to return clean shaven next week, on Sunday. It appears that since entering the military some 18 months ago, their permit to sport a beard was renewed monthly, but this is coming to an end.
While the permit for a beard was renewed automatically on a monthly basis. For reasons that remain a mystery at present, the permit for a beard is not being renewed this time around.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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8 Responses
This is another reason why a frumer yid doesn’t belong in the army
On the oe hand we need hakaros hatov to the soldiers that defend the millions of Yidden in Erets Yisroel.
On the other hand there is HISTORY where the government has used methods of FORCED INDOCTRINATION such as with the Yemeinite immimgration and when mostly religous children holocaust survivors came from Tehran.
In the JEWISH state they must not FORCE religous Jews to compromise. As they dont like religous co-ercian there should not be anti-religous coercian. This is not Communist Soviet Union!
This comment is directed at pro-idf people ONLY.
Can someone explain why the idf would do this?
Again- pro-idf only. We don’t need to hear the usual “they’re anti-frum”. however true that may be.
You should realize by now, that a religous jew’s place isn’t in the IDF
IDF draft laws known to be made as IDF serves as a Melting Pot for all world citizens to unite as a newly created Israeli nation.
For this particular reason the IDF/Isreali Government, draft by force into it, and create anti religious laws, for this same reason they want their beard shaven off
My guess, for what it’s worth: To the best of my knowledge there are problems involved in wearing a gas mask if the person has a beard. Assad has been known to use poison gas, sarin and mustard gas, even on civilians. If there are suspicions that there may be combat and that Assad may use gas, it would be necessary for soldiers to be able to use a gas mask safely.
Just my guess.
From what I read, the IDF is no longer trying to assimilate people to a sabra identity. The IDF played a role in blending people from all over Europe, the Middle East and North Africa into one group back in the early days of the State, but that isn’t necessary any more. I doubt if it’s just being anti-religious these days.
Zionism at its best.
@Midwest2: I was in the air forced until a few years ago. It wasn’t easy being frum, but thankfully I got out before eisengoy ym”sh was in charge.
I never had any problem wearing my gas mask with my heard, neither did anyone else I knew.
When the worlds so called mizrachis realise that the idf do not want frum Jews to participate in the army on even terms they will stop thinking the way they do
The idf do not want a frum unit that will contest on an equal footing they want NO competition they would like frum Jews to come into the idf on their terms
Let’s not debate what the terms are but it definitely won’t like the gemara kop on board competing with them they do not want frum commanders or generals