In response to a petition from yeshiva students not to enlist in the IDF in response to the kol isha issue, MK (Kadima) Otniel Schneller, a Shomer Shabbat Jew, called the move “anti Zionist and anti Jewish”, warning those who sign that they have signed issued a “restraining order against Zionism”.
He spoke of the need to realize that the problem is only because of a few “ideological extremists in the dati leumi camp who focus on IDF regulations against kol isha, ignoring the ultimate Jewish value of achdus and serving the Jewish state in Eretz Yisrael.”
“The use of such extremist terms such as ‘Yeharog V’al Yaavor’ places us among the extremists, outcasts in Israeli society. To their merit, they are ‘Tinokos Shel Beit Raban’ poisoned by the chareidi rabbonim that have infiltrated the ranks of the dati leumi”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
The IDF has always had women singing at official ceremonies, and dati leumi rabbonim have never prohibited IDF service. Schneller is right to be upset that a small, loud group of teenagers within the dati leumi community have now said that they will boycott serving in (what Schneller believes is) a milchemes mitzvah over this issue.
poisoned. aha
so the title is sarcasm….:-)
This guy is one for the books. Nebach.
Ari — These bochurim are not requesting the end of women singing at official ceremonies — they simply are requesting the right to quietly leave such ceremonies. This is a basic concept of religious freedom that any other army in a democratic country would honor.
Even for those who believe that Kibush Eretz Yisroel would be a Mitzva today, it is virtually impossible to make the case that a war that is not run according to Halacha is a milchemes mitzva.
If he really said this, then he is probably not Shomer Shabbos either.