A report from Kan public radio reveals that the majority of IDF enlistees categorized as Chareidi by the military do not personally identify as such.
The report indicates that approximately 70% of those included in the military’s statistics regarding Chareidi enlistment do not consider themselves part of this sector. Most describe themselves as ex-Chareidi, with many identifying as secular.
Previously, the IDF reported that around 9% of graduates from Chareidi educational institutions joined the military. However, this new report suggests that the majority of them no longer classify themselves as ultra-Orthodox.
Following the October 7 attacks, a few thousand members of the community voluntarily enlisted for military service.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
6 Responses
What do you expect? No self respecting ben Torah would join the army. But of course for the more bummy kids it’s an option and it might even teach them discipline. Nonetheless it remains a bad place for Yiddishkeit
According to the info I have been given, this is a particular media scam to encourage chareidim to enlist voluntarily.
Truth is, that NO decent yeshivah bochur or avreich kollel joined the army.
it’s amazing how many people think being in the army is anything more than becoming a slave to an anti-torah secular state. nothing good will come out of any avaira no matter how much feel good praise you get.
Many would argue that by definition, being Hareidi means not joining or supporting the army. By this definition, there are no Hareidim in the Kenesset or government.
Many secular Jews, meaning perhaps most Israelis, define Hareidi as anything “frummer” that a nominal religious zionist (e.g. mens wearing a yarmulke outside of shul, married covering their air or at least covering their midrif, knees, etc, in public, learning in a Torah institution for at least part of the day, etc.). By this definition, a very high percent of Israelis are hareidi.
Given that Hamas, with the clear support of most Palestinians, have made clear the war is no longer about governance of Eretz Yisrael or land rights- but solely about whether or not Eretz Yisrael (and to a lesser extent, the world) is to be Judenrein, there may be some radical shifts with the Shomer Shabbos community. What was previously a war about legal and economic rights, is now pure and simple “pikuach nefesh”. If a goy threatens to kill you if don’t him your wallet or let him cast you absentee ballot the halacha is to preserve your life and give him what he wants – if the goy makes clear he wants you dead, the resistance becomes obligatory.
This is old news. There are no real Chareidim in the IDF. Either they went off the derech before enlisting or they went off the derech in the IDF, like a majority of Deitei Leumi enlisted go OTD.
It’s amazing how many so-called frum Jews are Hamas fellow travelers. It is a mitza to join the IDF, especially at this time (Rambam, Laws of Kings 5,1). Rav Asher Weiss sad that a yeshiva guy should learn like a soldier. No afternoon nap, for example. Those who are not doing so should make themselves useful and do some form of military service.