Speaking to chassidim at seudas shlishis, the Vishnitzer Rebbe Shlita instructed his klal not to report to IDF induction centers if they are ordered to do so, explaining if they are arrested, they are to tell authorities “I am fulfilling the instruction of my rebbe.”
Deputy Minister of Health Rav Yaakov Litzman is expected to elaborate on the matter in the near future, hinting that if a solution to replace the Tal Law providing a legal framework for chareidim to avoid military service is not found, he will echo the words of the rebbe. Litzman feels that in the absence of a solution for the tens of thousands of talmidim who are viewed as draft eligible, he too will instruct his tzibur to refrain from reporting to induction centers.
The rebbe made his position clear, that his concerns extend beyond the bochrim and avreichim in his chassidus, calling upon those present to “spread the word in my name”, that no one should report to induction centers if ordered to do so.
The rebbe instructed chassidim to place the blame on his shoulders, stating “I am willing to go to prison in their place. I am not afraid to sit in prison and if compelled to do so, we will go with drums and dancing. There is a difficult gezeira on us and we will stand firm as a bulwark against it”.
Litzman told a motzei shabbos election gathering in Bnei Brak that he and party colleague R’ Moshe Gafne have met with senior Defense Ministry officials as they continue efforts to find a solution, but explains that “of late I have begun to receive complaints that the IDF is not remaining true to its word and it is not doing what was promised to us.”
Litzman stated that if military officials continue to avoid meeting with him, “I will not hesitate to back the rebbe’s word and sign such a statement”, perhaps sending a message to the IDF and the cabinet that time is rapidly running out in the eyes of the chareidi leaders. Litzman explained that military officials have told him they cannot meet with him without the okay from Defense Minister Ehud Barak and it appears to date, Barak has not approved such a meeting.
Also taking part in the motzei shabbos event were Deputy Minister of Education Menachem Eliezer Moses, Yisrael Eichler and Meir Porush.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
When have they kept their word?
If the government does anything more than cut off funding to draft refusers (and cutting off funding is ineffective to any who weren’t accepting government money to begin with), the government will have a major public relations problem. Arresting people over their religious beliefs does not go well in most of the countries whose support Israel needs. A few dozen Neturei Karta protestors is a sidebar, a few thousand protestors will be a serious embarassment. In most western countries, support for Israel correlates with religious belief, and the last think Israel needs to do is advertise itself as a country that is cracking down on religious fanatics – especially religious fanatics who are peaceful and whose only crime is not wanting to go around killing Arabs.
As long as the Chareidim can HOLD together and WORK TOGETHER with each other, NOTHING will happen!!!
Achdus is our MOST POWERFUL tool to fight ant gezeiro!!!!
Why is there no uproar from the Hidush organization against the Vizniter Rebbe, for instructing his chasidim to break the law , akin to the ridicules lawsuit they filed against the Satmar Rebbe from williamsburg for “breaking” the anti torah laws of the secular Israeli government ???
This illustrates the great kiddush hashem being facilitaed by the Satmar Rebbe’s actions as we see that it causes the anti torah tzionim into such a frenzy of petty, wrong, lawsuits.
“hinting that if a solution to replace the Tal Law providing a legal framework for chareidim to avoid military service is not found”
When will a meeting be held to find a solution for the Tal Rule? Solutions dont happen on their own….