The ministerial committee finalizing the new law to draft chareidim headed by MK (Bayit Yehudi) Ayelet Shaked on Tuesday morning, 28 Elul 5773 discussed hesder army service.
According to data presented to the committee, there are 6,500 students, graduates from dati leumi schools annually, of which 1,800 opt for the hesder service, a five-year commitment. Only 27% (1,400 students) complete the entire five years in hesder. (Many opt out to enter different elite units or officers school, which demand leaving the yeshiva framework).
MK Shaked told committee members that 40% of the hesder soldiers serve 16 months in the IDF while most serve 24 months. She added that 80% of the hesder soldiers serve in miluim (reserve duty).
Invited to attend the session was Rabbi Chaim Druckman, who stated “When we established the Kerem B’Yavneh Yeshiva, the first hesder yeshiva, it was decided that it is important for the talmidim to serve in the IDF. “We wanted to raise a generation of rabbis, dayanim and roshei yeshiva that served in the IDF. No one compelled this reality upon us” stated the prominent dati leumi community rav.
MK (The Movement) Elazar Stern stated “there is value to studying Torah for Am Yisrael. I accept the fact that in the democratic Jewish state is capable of making special arrangements for athletes, musicians, and cultural, including an arrangement permitting talmidei chachamim to learn fulltime. This is a critical issue for the existence of the Jewish People. But as one who lives in this world, I think that the current arrangement will at some point in the future challenge Israel’s existence as a democratic Jewish nation.”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Isn’t it interesting that Hesder students only serve 16 months in the IDF while the shmad proposal to draft Yeshiva Bochorim out of the yeshiva and into the IDF is for 2 and a half years!
@1 if you call that shmad, you sir have no idea of the meaning of the word. They could have had the same deal if they didnt dig their own graves by acting like children every step of the way.
@2: Speak to the Gedolei Yisroel shlit”a who have characterized it as a shmad. I am merely accepting what the Gedolei Rabbonim shlit”a have stated.
Secondly, they don’t need nor want the same deal as the Hesder boys. The Hesder has a 25% rate who “graduate” into chilonim. We, on the other hand, will resist the shmad government decrees even if they put us into jail. They can start building jails for tens of thousands of new Bnei Torah prisoners.
#1 – The people currently entering the hesder program are all committed zionists. It will take longer to break hareidim. Stop complaining. The Russians (who dreamed up the idea of using conscription as a weapon againt frum Jews) used to go for 25 years – and expulsion from the country if you survived (when, Finland, which wasn’t so bad).
#1-so let the Charedim propose 16 months or a just year. Charedi girls who dont have a chiyuv of learning Torah, usually dont even volunteer for Sherot Leumu-community service. Its not “shmad” its “ENTITLEMENT” Magia Li and Bishvili Bara Haolam. Two charecter traits not to be proud of.