MK (Yahadut HaTorah) Moshe Gafne explained to the media that in the past when someone told him that he was entering the air force’s Shachar program, which was designed to cater to the lifestyle of chareidim, he would respond “fine, much hatzlocha”. Today however, he is quite adamant in his opposition, instructing chareidim not to join any IDF unit for today “it is clear they want to change you into a different person, to compel you to listen to women vocalists and eat foods you should not be eating, I don’t know what else they will tell you to do. The IDF simply failed in its first test”, he told Kol Chai Radio.

Since the resignation of the air force’s chief rav, Rabbi Lt.-Colonel Moshe Ravaad, Gafne has changed his hashkafa and he is getting the message out to the chareidi tzibur, “not to enlist”.

Ravaad, who has been the force behind the program, announced he no longer can accept responsibility for the neshamas of the soldiers in light of recent decisions made by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz and Major-General Orna Barvibai, who heads the personnel branch. They have forbidden soldiers from leaving kol isha events if such an event is a mandatory assembly, unwilling to accommodate frum soldiers who feel they cannot take part in such events in line with their hashkafa.

Following his announced resignation of Ravaad IDF Chief Rabbi Brigadier-General Rafi Peretz decided to preempt, recommending to the Gantz to fire him, as was reported by YWN-ISRAEL.

Ravaad met with Peretz and other officials and agreed that he will step down as the air force’s chief rav, but continue in the military rabbinate until his retirement later this year.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)