Colonel Gil Ben-Shaul, who runs the IDF’s Bakum induction center, reports there is place for thousands of chareidi inductees. The colonel spoke with the media as the military’s March 2012 induction is underway. He explained that while motivation for entering combat units is down to 73% among current inductees from 80% in the previous induction, for as long as the number remains over 70% the IDF is “in good shape”.
Colonel Ben-Shaul added that not all inductees need to be combatants, for there are other positions that must be filled as well. He added that if an additional 3,000 chareidim enlist, “we have where to put them”.
“It is clear that of the 8,000 eligible chareidim each year, not all of them will be entering the military but if 8,000 chareidim arrived at our door this morning, we would have use for all of them”.
Regarding the exemption from service given to females who declare themselves frum, the colonel explains that this represents 40% of the draft eligible age women annually, and he is certain that of those who sign the pledge that they are frum, a third are not being honest.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
So if IDF is so desperate, why not adopt policies to allow frum Jews to serve without harassment or discrimination, without being told to choose between Torah and the army? Do female singers at official events really keep rockets from hitting Israeli cities? Does a policy of allowing sexual harassment through the army really deter terrorism?
Akermerma,
how do you come up with your stupidity? do you work hard at it? you comments are are offensive to all of religious people who have served with full ethics and morals
#2- I have the greatest respect for the Frum Jews who serve in the IDF. In some ways their mesiras nefesh is greater than Jews who served with the Allied forces in World War II – who seriously compromised in halacha to contribute to defeating the Nazis – unlike the Americans or the British, neither of whom saw Torah Judaism as an enemy, the secular rules of Israel see us as an existential threat no more, and no less, than the Muslims. From their perspective a Jewish (meaning “frum”) state is just as bad as an Islamic one. I don’t believe you’ll find any evidence of the Allies in World War II going out of their way to make it difficult for frum Jews, even though they hardly embraced “reasonable accomodation” – but the same can not be said for the zionists.
RamatShilo,
the truth hurts, eh? The IDF has done so much to keep charedim at bay … it’s not just female singers. What about the status of their sifrei torah? What about their kashrus? What about their schedules for routine activities and religious daily calendars? What about pushing gender-mixed environments?
Ramat =
Too sad that you don’t get what akuperma is saying he dosn’t comment to people like yourself who dont appreciate/represent the true torah values..
So they have room to uproot 8000 additional Jews from Torah. We have no room for them.