The Hiddush organization has turned to Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz in the name of religious freedom, addressing haircuts in the IDF. Hiddush defends a soldiers right to maintain peyos and a beard if he so desires. The Hiddush appeal follows a number of recent complaints by frum soldiers who report IDF barbers cut off their peyos despite their objections.
Hiddush leader Uri Regev is calling for signs in IDF barber facilities similar to signs on buses instructing riders to reserve certain seats for the elderly and the disabled. Regev cites that the matter can no longer be brushed aside as an isolated incident for it has happened too many time and barbers in the military must be ordered to respect a soldier’s religious beliefs and rights. Regev points out that it is also a violation of military regulations, which demands honoring a soldier’s religious beliefs.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
1. This would affect those who were naive about the army. If they went in realizing that IDF is anti-frum, they would have held on to their pe’os (with their hands).
2. Under current regulations, a soldier is subject to punishment for growing a beard – which is part of the army’s policy of discouraging people from becoming more frum.
3. The best solution is for frum Jews to refuse to serve until the army agrees to get rid of all anti-religious officers (just as the American military gets rid of racist officers). If someone is unwilling to serve with, or command, hareidim – then if the IDF wants hareidim they have to expell the anti-hareidim. This is unlikely to occur.
This picture or similar is always used to portray Chareidi soldiers in the IDF.
I believe it is disrespectful to the CHARDAL community to portray only soldiers with only unkempt beards and payos.
There are many neat looking chareidim who could be portrayed as well.
That’s a very good idea and it should be implemented asap. The fact that it’s coming from a Reform rabbi is interesting.
#2 wife: The soldiers in the above picture have beautiful Jewish beards and peyos. Nothing could be nicer. It is beautiful to continue using their picture.