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“I don’t want there to be, not even for one moment, a feeling in the country that the religious are forcing themselves on the public and leading the country to a place that most people don’t want to go. That would be terrible, it would destroy the state” Rabbi Eli Sadan told Channel 10 News. Rabbi Sadan is the founder of the Bnei David IDF Preparatory Yeshiva located in Yishuv Eli in Shomron. He is regarded by most at the ‘father of the mechinot’, the nationwide network of the pre-IDF yeshivot.

During an interview with Channel 10 he was asked to comment on the possibility of a religious Jew serving as IDF chief of staff or prime minister. He explained the time has not yet come for such a reality, and therefore, he opposes it for fear it will have a negative impact regarding many people’s view of religious Jews and a Torah life. He did stipulate that does not include a religious candidate who may enjoy nationwide support.

Rabbi Sadan has been working for over a quarter of a century to encourage many of his graduates to remain in the IDF and move up the ranks. Others are encouraged to enter into other areas of state service, including the Mossad Intelligence Agency, the ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) or the State Prosecutor’s Office in the hope of effecting change.

In a recent related matter, one of Rav Sadan’s early graduates, Colonel Ofir Winter was passed up for promotion due to his open expression of belief in HKBH and the holiness of his mission. It was not the first time he was held back. As a result he is likely to be resigning from the military despite being a decorated combat officer.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)