In light of the increase of Chareidi soldiers at the Air Force base in “Nevatim”, a sefer Torah was brought in to the base last weekend, for the benefit of the religious soldiers. Today 60 Chareidi soldiers serve at the place as part of a special program the “Nachal Chareidi” battalion aimed at protecting strategically valuable assets of the State of Israel located at the base.
The Sefer Torah was donated by the Jewish businessman Victor Abayev, one of the senior leaders of the Caucasian Jewish community in the United States, in memory of soldier Almog Shiloni z”l who served at the “Nachal Chareidi”. Almog was stabbed to death in a terror attack at the train station of Tel Aviv in November last year. The parents of Almog participated in the event as did the base commander, Brigadier Lihu Ha-Cohen, who spoke at the event as well.
The “Nevatim” base is one of the largest Air Force bases in Israel and has the greatest number of squadrons in the force. Besides activating combat squadrons, transport vehicles maintaining and intelligence gathering, the base also operates advanced radars that are highly strategic for the State of Israel.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Photos: Artiom Degel, the Tuvoshi Cultural Center)
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5 Responses
Beautiful act lshem shamayim.
The Torah should protect them and all Klall Yisroel.
BEAUTIFUL !!! A Wonderful Koddush Hashem.
After all the rabid remarks last week frome SOME YWN readers concerning wheter a “charedi” should be part of the IDF, this scene is refreshing. One major problem was illustrated in last week’s column. There is a lack of tolerance for anyone with a different mesorah or different poskim. We all complain about “political correctness” in the USA. Well, unfortunately, when a charedi soldier is spat on or otherwise degraded, it is exactly the same thing. Notice the picture at the Hachnosas Sefer Torah. It is a Sefardi Sefer Torah. There is no question that the “litvishi” gedolim are very great and must be respected and venerated. BUT when it comes to the final psak, the Shulchan Aruch always states clearly that EACH community MUST follow its own minhagim. Anyone who is not tolerant of another posek’s contrary psak is no better than the ISIS hooligans.
#3
So it’s justifiable for those who wrap themselves in high falutin’ titles to be given equal weight?
it’s an anarchic free-for-all up to any college grad who pontificates?
Who blocked Rav Simcha HaKohen Kook, the chief rabbi of Rechovot, from being appointed to the highest rabbinical court just 4-5 years ago?
Ah,
Mizrachi-Mafdal
(now reincarnated as Bayit Yehudi).
The reason?
He was too strict an adherent to halachah.
#3
When r. Shlomo Goren visited L.A., R’ Moshe Feinstein proclaimed that no rabbinic kavod should be shown toward him.
R’ P Gruman (at the time a high school Rebbe in L.A.) phoned R’ Moshe himself to confirm