The storm surrounding the new IDF regulation compelling soldiers to be clean shaven is not going to be implemented on 21 Adar-I (March 1st) as planned, but it will be delayed to permit the sides to reach an understanding.
There have been many reports of dati leumi soldiers instructed to shave despite declaring their beards are for religious reasons, and many soldiers expressing their willingness to be jailed rather than shave. The Union of Hesder Yeshivot and prominent dati leumi rabbonim have become involved and clearly the regulation announced by IDF Manpower Branch Chief Major-General Chaggai Tupolinsky has resulted in an unexpected storm.
According to a Yisrael Hayom report, the military has decided to delay implementation of the new regulation for three months in the hope of establishing acceptable guidelines prior to implementation.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
this a classic case of shmad just like under the czar, it is assur medoraisa to serve in this army.
This is not Shmad in any way shape or form. The Yeshiva world should report more accurately and karlbenmarx clearly has no idea what he is talking about.
The army always had and ways will allow religious soldiers to grow a beard. They are trying to implement a new regulation so that people don’t just grow a beard to get out shaving every morning.
The army realized it’s new guidelines were not thought out well enough and they backed down. There was never any intent to harm Judaism of Halacha in the process.
Aside from that any commander is able to give his soldier a temporary “Ishur” to not shave.
I am a soldier my commanders no me and I know them. They have no intention of making me shave.
You have to be really clueless to call this “Shmad” either you don’t know what “Shmad” is or you don’t know what the Israeli army is.
Comparing bureaucracy in the IDF to something like the hoacaust or Soviet Russia is rather shameful and disgraceful.
#2, the czar was before the Holocaust and Soviet Russia. I daven for all soldiers in IDF, however you must see that the Zionist government’s goal is to make Yidden secular, notice they don’t bother Arabs to go to IDF or shave. Shmad it is.