Defense Minister Moshe’ Ya’alon announced on Monday, 22 Menachem Av 5773 that he has decided to push off the induction of 550 chareidim from August until November because new draft legislations has yet to be voted into law.
Addressing new recruits in the Bakum induction base, soldiers entering the IDF’s Homefront Command and Artillery Corps, the senior minister made the announcement that 550 chareidim were to have been inducted on August 18th.
Making reference to the increase in assaults against chareidi soldiers, Ya’alon added he is working with law-enforcement on the matter.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
The ‘terrible’ and ‘foolish’Defense Minister Moshe’ Ya’alon must misunderstand that chareidim are supposed to be forced to serve (in the lowest positions possible)
There’s nothing illegal about heckling “frum” people who join the Israeli Army. It is an exercise of free speech.
Even hareidim who show up for the army at this point may turn out to be disloyal once the military police are forced to start raiding yeshivos to arrest draft refusers. And if they scheduled a group to show up this August, a low turn out would be a direct challenge to the government. Yaalon hopes the problem will go away, and he wants to avoid making matters worse — and he’ld rather worry about defending the country against its foreign enemies than be drawn into the no-win “Kulturkampf” .
The real reason for the delay is
1) 5,000 soldiers are being discharged because there’s no need for them.
2) There’s no money for soldiers they’re discharging.
3) Certainly no money for charedi purposes. Charedim in the army would need all their food with Rav Landau’s hechsher as well as Bedatz hechsher as not everyone accepts both, a mikva, proper mechitza at pool, kosher shul, sifrei kodesh and a kosher Sefer Torah.
4) They’re not ready for “Mehadrin” segregation.
5) They fear the many Baalei Tshuvot that will be created with the absorption of so many charedim.
6) It takes time to find an excuse why 50% chilonim are allowed to dodge the draft.
7) They have to find an excuse why Israeli Arabs are not recruited.
8) They’re not ready for civil war.
9) They’re not ready for world reaction to their Cantonist Decree.