IDF officials of late have been working to establish a dialogue with leaders in the chareidi community in the hope of reaching an understanding regarding the drafting of chareidim into the military.

Interestingly, the connection with the Moditzer Rebbe Shlita was made by IDF Chief Chazzan Lt.-Colonel Shai Abramson, who met with the rebbe earlier in the week and presented him with a CD of his new album, which contains a niggun that originates in the chassidus.

According to the Srugim report, Abramson arrived at the rebbe’s Bnei Brak home and was greeted warmly. The rebbe expressed great interest in the details of the IDF draft and the chazzan’s work.

Some of the popular Moditzer niggunim include “אשת חיל”, “מזמור לדוד ה’ רועי לא אחסר”, “אודך כי עניתני”.

Rav Klein told the rebbe he is responsible for the chareidim in the air force’s Shachar program, responding to questions pertaining to that special project.

The rebbe mentioned a letter that he recalls seeing once upon a time in which David Ben-Gurion was questioned regarding kashrus in the military. Rav Klein explained that today, a chareidi soldier receives the food he is accustomed to eating.

The rebbe asked why chareidim are needed in the IDF, to which Rav Klein stated officers are seeking additional chareidim in their units, referring to them as soldiers who make a significant contribution to the IDF. “On erev Rosh Hashanah I visited an air force base. The commander asked me to arrange that the chareidi soldiers do their reserves duty on the base as opposed to placing them in different positions in the IDF Chief Rabbinate”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)