In the past few days a series of harsh statements by Sephardi roshei yeshiva and rabbonim regarding the induction of females into the IDF were heard as elements in the coalition are working to create a new reality vis-à-vis the drafting of women into Israel’s military R”L. The rabbonim raised the problems that already exist today and warned against the new regulations that would harm the girls, particularly Sephardi girls who are on the path of teshuvah.

YWN-ISRAEL reported that chareidi representatives in Knesset met with senior military officials including IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Gadi Eizenkott as they continue efforts to reach an understanding.

Kikar Shabbos News on Wednesday Tu B’Shevat reports it obtained a secret document from Mekubal Rabbi Yaakov Adas from the gathering of the Sephardi rabbonim, in which Rav Adas reveals serious facts, which he reports to have heard from Avi Abuchatzera, an aide to Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

According to Rav Adas, the army recently changed the procedures for recruiting girls, erasing the world of baalei teshuvah among secular girls who began a process of becoming frum, and thousands of girls who began to grow stronger in their Yiddishkheit fell into the army and left the teshuva process R”L.

In addition, Rabbi Adas refers to the changes in the army regarding the recruitment of chareidi females and reveals that even the granddaughter of Maran HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky received an order to appear at the enlistment office, which was inconceivable.

The following is a translation of the Kikar Shabbos Hebrew report of Rav Adas’ words:

“Whom am I to speak before these rabbonim shlita and the tzibur hakadosh, but it happened that I had to study this issue carefully, because there are many who deny reality, and what I say are things that I received from the greatest experts, and the experts I spoke with Knesset Member Rabbi Porush and with Rabbi Deri.

“I spoke with Rabbi Shaul Kanievsky, son of the Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, and he agreed to everything I say, and I spoke with many others who are involved in the matter.

“The teshuvah movement exists for decades, and we are all aware there are tens of thousands of families of baalei teshuvah, many having married as baalei teshuvah. There are far more yeshivos for male baalei teshuva than female and as a result, woman have to return to teshuva on their own.

“The very first shiur of Lev L’Achim for girls begins in 12th grade, after finishing high school. The effort is not made earlier for parents object to the process, objecting to stopping school before matriculation exams. In addition, the classes are mixed, boys and girls. Because of these factors, efforts to make them frum only begin after 12th grade.

“Avi Abuchatzera, the defense minister’s aide, told me that in recent years, many thousands of girls who until recently had been exempt because they are in the process of becoming religious, however, their exemptions are now being canceled. The numbers the assistant had told me were much higher than I actually said, but to avoid being overstated, I say only thousands.

“They bring evidence against the girls that they are not religious enough. After all, a girl who begins to repent does not happen in one day. There are those who leave everything and repent, but there are many who are a matter of process, and these are rejected today.

“Thousands of girls who were supposed to repent today, to our great regret, are secular because of this terrible decree, they have changed the procedures, and what used to happen easily has resulted into probes into their lives. This they claim is nothing! We are dealing with thousands of women. Anyone working with baalei teshuvah know this to be so as they are just interested into doubling their numbers.

Rabbi Adas said that Rav Shaul Kanievsky told him, “You do not have to convince me, my own daughter received an order to the recruitment office.”

“This daughter, she is not only the granddaughter of Hagaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, but she lives in the same house, and since Rebitzen Kanievsky died, she moved in next door and connected the apartments. They live together, so she was invited to the recruitment office.”

“What are they doing this for?

“I say what I hear from them, there are many girls who are dropped out and do not really observe Torah and mitzvos and the army wants to find out about it, so they investigate.

“Why is this wrong?

“Of course, taking secular soldiers into the army is wrong, but anyone who deals with women off the derech knows that over 80% return within a few months, but the army wants to take them and abduct them. The problem is that today, the askanim are the ones who lead the matter.

We need to know that there is a Gezeira. WHat should we do? I do not know. But what I do know is that tefilla is always helpful – but I do not say that tefilla is enough. Someone must act, but at least each one should daven from the bottom of his heart that they cannot draft bnos yisrael.

“The situation in the army today regarding what happens to the girls is many times worse than in the past, it’s not me saying this but secular people told me, there are all kinds of extreme people in the army who did very serious things there between the boys and the girls, but this is not the forum to discuss this”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)