During a session of the Shaked Committee on Wednesday, 8 Teves 5774, Homeland Security Ministry Director General Rotem Peleg announced that the ministry has been working during the past year, implementing plans to accommodate the majority of chareidi recruits into civil service programs, an alternative to IDF service. Peleg hopes that most of the chareidim that opt out of IDF service will be enter the police department or another option under the ministry’s control, such a fire service or the Israel Prison Authority. Peleg explained to committee members that if and when the new draft law is passed, the ministry will do its utmost to accommodate chareidim in all areas of Israel Police, stating they will find a welcome mat and an accommodating service. The ministry is also negotiating with the treasury regarding the necessary budget to accommodate many anticipated chareidi recruits.
IDF Personnel Branch representative to the meeting, Brigadier-General Gadi Agmon told the committee that the IDF hopes to cut the number of personnel on loan from the IDF to other agencies, including Israel Police, by 40% towards addressing gaps in manpower at its disposal.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
6 Responses
Contradictory report. Can someone explain?
Peleg hopes that most of the chareidim that opt out of IDF service will enter the police department
and then
The IDF hopes to cut the number of personnel including Israel Police by 40%
1. The issue is whether there will be a forced alternative to learning Torah.
2. Some form of alternative service that is also acceptable to the Arab Muslims might be “sellable” to hareidim who don’t learn in yeshiva (who heretofore have been exempted by stating that Torah was their “miktsoa” (in zionist Hebrew it means career or profession, but in traditional Hebrew it is more of “avocation”).
In light of the fact that the Israel police have their fair share of female prutzim, I don’t see how the police force should appeal any more to these chareidi refusenuks any more than the IDF itself.
#3 There are several married Charedi men who work in the police force, doing desk or computer jobs & are not bothered by the females.
(BTW not all females are prutzim)
Akuperma, (1) people have been making do with forced alternatives to learning Torah since Adam Harishon, by decree of a higher authority than the Israel Police. (2) no one was exempted from army service on the grounds of his “miktsoa.” The term is “umanut” (תורתו אומנותו), which has meant career or profession since long before Zionism and never conferred anything more than a deferral from service.
#1- The report reads: – to cut the number of personnel ON LOAN from the IDF to other agencies – it seems that the IDF has been ‘loaning’ personnel to the police and other security forces to deal with situations of personnel shortages in those security forces. With additional charedi recruits to those security forces that will no longer be necessary.