Eida Chareidis Ravaad HaGaon HaRav Moshe Sternbuch Shlita telephoned the family of yeshiva bochur imprisoned for 20 days for failing to report to an induction center, Eliyahu Cohen. There was Thursday afternoon violence in the Geula area of Yerushalayim in response to the arrest.
The ravaad comforted the family, reassuring them things would work out. The telephone call was well received well by the family, which was very appreciative and calmed somewhat after speaking with Rav Sternbuch.
Kikar Shabbos adds that HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Auerbach Shlita decided if the young man remains imprisoned over Pesach the gadol hador plans to invite his family.
There were rumors on Thursday night that due to efforts of Eli Yishai and Aryeh Deri the bochur was going to be released but it appears those rumors did not pan out. According to information received by YWN-ISRAEL on Friday morning, Cohen remains in a military jail and military authorities do not plan to release him before he serves his 20-day sentence.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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14 Responses
I wonder does or did Eida Chareidis Ravaad HaGaon HaRav Moshe Sternbuch Shlita ever call an IDF solider or family that was killed or injured in action?
Let me guess NO, but hope I am wrong.
It pains me to write this but I’ll write it anyway.
How can our own behave with such רישות ? It’s just mind boggling!!
This boy did NOT commit a crime. At worst, he was not in compliance. Does that justify keeping him in a prison over פסח? The סדר? How can we call this זמן חרותנו??
Please, someone explain this to me, I’m having a very difficult time comprehending this….
Baruch ha-Shem this is still considered “news” rather than something so routine it is no longer “new.”
By targetting those who are opposed to conscription and by extension, opposed to the Medinah and its wars, the Zionists are committing a tremendous hillul ha-Shem. Under virtually all legal standards, persecuting a religious minority for refusing to fight a war they oppose for religious reasons is considered a serious breach of human rights standards.
The Zionists would be better off to ignore those who are opposed to the Medinah on principle, and limit their efforts to those who support the state, and benefit from the state, but are “dodging” (hiding from, evading, cheating) the draft out of laziness, greed or cowardice. By persecuting those who are courageously opposing a rather powerful state, and acting against their personal economic interests in doing so, the Israelis are only hurting themselves. Indeed, by calling attention to the halachic view that zionism is contrary to traditional Jewish principles, the Israelis risk alienating the many pro-zionist goyim whose critical support for Israel is based on the idea that zionism is “biblically mandated” (as they say).
With Rashut of the YWN Editorial staff, I’d like to answer #2. Last year, or perhaps two years ago, Rav Ariel the Rav of Ramat Gan suggested that the ones that should defend Betar Ilit and other Haradi communities like that should be their own soldiers. It is not right that a boy with a knitted Kipa or any other type do Shmira for such a community while the community’s own young men are enjoying their 4 cups and their mother’s chicken soup.
Your term “Rishut” is at best inappropriate. And, at worst down right wrong. It’s the IDF’s response as well as most of the country’s response to a (Haradi) community that has had it all at their expense. Put yourself in their shoes… They don’t see any difference between one Hasadic sect and another or Litvish vs Hasid. What they see is a community that has takes without giving.
I have never heard the guy driving the streets of Geula announce the funeral of a fallen soldier. That we should go to Shamgar for a boy killed in the north.
I recently asked a chayal boded if he gets slack walking the streets of MS and Geuala. He told me that he gets very few comments; but he does get. But, when he goes close to the Mirer in BY, he gets lots of remarks.
Like Shlomo ha Melech said about the pond. How you look at it is how it will look at you. So, tell me, how has the Haradi community looked at the IDF?
Baruch Hashem the Gedolei Yisroel shlit”a are standing up and defending our heroic bochorim that are being moser nefesh against the gezeiras shmad by the Israeli government against the Torah community.
@peakman let’s hope you and your Zionist family end up in jail for pesach. This is your way of responding to the terrible fact of a boy in jail for doing nothing wrong for yom tov?
to answer #1, if you knew your history the wars with the arabs are the responsibility of the secular govt. The Eida Hachreidis had an excellent relationship with the Arabs. the arrest of the bochur is the responsibility of the rabbonim. don’t mix up the two. At the same time anti- draft for bnei torah is not to be mixed up with anti Medina. Even if one is pro Medina he should still be anti drafting of those protecting the Medina in the best way.That’s a rebuttal of #3.
END.ZIONISM says:
April 11, 2014 at 11:36 am
@peakman let’s hope you and your Zionist family end up in jail for pesach. This is your way of responding to the terrible fact of a boy in jail for doing nothing wrong for yom tov?
he broke the law. Oh I forgot laws of nations do not apply to black hats.
#5 moser nefesh yes they are really risking harm even more so than an IDF members. are you joking?
I guess many of the commentators here that say what did he do wrong would have no issue if from now on every Israeli will just refuse to serve the army.
I wonders if you guys will support them?
roshvrishon: If someone favors the continued existence of the zionist state, it means you favor continuous war with the Arabs, since the Arab Muslims are the majority in the region, and have been so since the middle ages, and will never agree to a zionist state. If you favor a war, meaning you favor your countrymen fighting and dying in the war, but feel that you personally shouldn’t be the one fighting and dying, you are a hypocrite. In America they came up with the term “chicken hawk” for one who supports a pro-war policy (in this case, having a zionist state in which the Arabs are subjugated), but doesn’t want to be the one bearing the burden of military service.
I agree with everything Jerry said
akuperma is 100% correct.
The truth is most of these comments are just wrong the issue is much more complicated than what has been presented. If “drafting” is the law of the country you must follow the law of the country or leave this is a basic halacha. But even that isn’t so simple because the law concerning the Draft is not so concrete 30% of the Hiloni don’t serve and don’t go to jail. So now this imprisonment and threat thereof looks to be only apply-able to Haredim which is illegal and the courts if they are honest should intervene in the same way they intervene with the TAL law.
So the real argument should be about discrimination.
Mr. Peakman,
Calm down.
First of all, the Israeli Army does NOT need the charidem, and that’s a Fact.
A law that was never in effect from the existence of the Medinah, until the party of Yeah Atid-Lapid took over the power.
What exactly is your problem???
Why are you so hurt with the Das of EVERY Rabbi of Israel and elsewhere.
I think, you should be upset if the Rabbi wouldn’t have made that phone call, since the Bochur is in prison only because he listened to his Rabbi not to report to an induction center, it would be like you go to jail and I dont care, The Rabbi did the best thing by phoning the parents and comforting them.