A Chareidi IDF reservist was sent to jail for 14 days after refusing to be mechalel Shabbos by loading a semitrailer on Shabbos.
Last erev Shabbos, the security situation became extremely tense in the south as another round of warfare was threatening from Gaza. Many soldiers stationed in the area were instructed to prepare for warfare.
Soldier Zechariah Melichi of Bnei Brak, an IDF reservist and the father of young children who is stationed in the south, wished to keep Shabbos and not transgress halacha, asking to find a replacement for non-essential actions assigned to him.
However, his commanders decided otherwise, instructing him to begin transferring equipment to a semitrailer on Shabbos. Melichi, who refused, and was sentenced to 14 days in jail by his battalion commander for insubordination; refusing a direct order.
A brother of Zechariah is quoted telling Kikar Shabbos News “We are dealing with the head of a family who was supposed to return home to his family, the children, whom have just begun summer vacation. But as Shabbos ended, the family was shocked to receive the news, that abba was sent to jail and will not be coming home in the coming weeks, albeit because he refused to be mechalel Shabbos.
“Was it pikuach nefesh? Was loading the semitrailer absolutely necessary? It is regrettable that the IDF does not take into account the feelings of its religious soldiers and despises halacha”.
The IDF Spokesman Unit responded: The reserve soldier was on standby in a transport battalion along with other soldiers. In light of the security incidents, the soldier was asked to arrive with his carrier to the Gaza Division. In view of his refusal, despite the operational necessity, he was sentenced to 14 days in prison.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
Ywn are you still shocked every time there are protests? This is precisely the reason most rabonim don’t want to recognize the draft at all because the idf is like the –
היום אומר לך עשה כך ולמחר יאמר לך עשה כך
Fake news
Are you certain this was chilul Shabbat or a necessary part of defense work?
it is a problem when the commanding officer is an idiot and does not care for religious people. See it happen myself….
BTW normally the commanding officer should be punished for this, but he gets away with no problem but the poor soldier must suffer….
Here’s your jewish state army for ya…Oh, wait, no, not so jewish.
בושה וחרפה!
My experience:
Abut forty years five ago I was doing miluim in the Jordan valley.
There was at that time what they called the war of attrition, with the PLO in Jordan.
Part of our duties was to patrol the southern Golan once a week. (It was mainly empty then).
One day the captain (MP) comes and tells us that this week it will be on Shabbat.
So I ask why and he says because we have intel (from a shtinker (informer)) that there will be infiltrators on Shabbat.
So I say, wow lets get them, this is pikuah nefesh, they are coming to kill us!
So on Friday they tell me that the patrol is cancelled — the captain went home for Shabbat. He forgot that he had a bar mitzva in the family.
So the infiltrator story was BS!
You cannot depend on officers who are not frum!!!
Then there was the issue of going out on Shabbat to protect the skiers on the hermon.
I have to be mehallel shabbat to protect their hillul Shhabbat???!!!
The solution:
More haredim in the army until the officer corp is frum!!!
Attention Slanderers of Israel: Army supply is essential part of operations!! Every Bullet, Water bottle, Wheel rivet, wrench, engine part, glove, phone part, antenna parts, binocular, wire cutter, nail, screw, EVERYTHING IS ESSENTIAL IN RUNNING AN ARMY! If an op is happening at Gaza Border, where a Soldierxwas just SHOT AND KILLED, then of course all the Parts and Supplies are essential!! YOU THINK THIS IS A Monsey BBQ or a Kumzitz?! You’re given a direct order in the Army that DEFENDS YOUR COUNTRY, you do it!
Of course Someone comes up with a story of “one time an officer changed his mind”- oh, so let’s run an army based on your stories. So soldiers shouldn’t obey orders because one time you heard a rumor. Not!
More and more we see why Hashem set Israel up like this, with Frum NOT running the Govt or army, because just like there are 50 Shuls in 1 neighborhood because no one can agree, there would be so much fighting in the Army with hundreds saying it’s time to eat chulent, it’s time for my nephews bris, I want to ask Satmar Rebbe opinion on if I should load truck, But Which Satmar? Williamsburg or the other one? I want to ask Belzer Rav, I want to ask Sephardi Rav, I want to ask BOBOV, I want to ask Chabad, I want to go to Uman and ask, I want the opinion of the Skverer Rav, I want to ask Vishnitz, I want to go to Cousins upshirin, I Only go according to opinion of Skulener, I only hold by the Telz Yeshiva, I Hold by Ponevitch only, but I Hold by the Lakewood Yeshiva opinion, but I know a Uncle whose Cousin said…
Read Navi! It’s all about Wars and Army. Bnai Yisroel always had to fight to protect itself! Even when they were winning and doing wrong, they had an army, Even under the worst Idol worshipping Rulers, the Army of Israel operated. If anyone didn’t obey an order they were killed. At no time were they ever told to sit and just rely on providence – they Had to have an Army. At no time were they told to let Goyim abuse them and not fight back! The Navi is full of Descriptions of the Army and regiments!