A chareidi IDF soldier who demanded mehadrin food with a hechsher from the Eida Chareidis or Rav Landau was sent to 21 days in lock up on Wednesday morning after refusing to eat from the regular military kitchen.
The soldier, a resident of Kiryat Shmona, was inducted into the military six months ago and for various reasons, was not assigned to Nachal Chareidi.
During his induction process he met a number of other chareidim and together, they decided not to compromise on their kashrus standards despite the difficulties involved.
During the past weeks, “C” survived on cans of corn and water, admittedly with much difficulty and learning to live with constant hunger pains.
It was a day in the field and “C” explained to his commander that he was feeling extremely weak and he knew that during the day, all he would get is combat rations, permitting him only some Halva, seeking to explain he will not have the energy to make it through the day.
His company commander according to a Chadrei Chadarim report responded “Who said you are entitled to mehadrin kosher? Eat like everyone else!”
“C” explained that in the Bakum induction base he was promised mehadrin food. “Are you calling me a liar?” questioned the commander. He was immediately sent to the base commander and sentenced to 21 days in prison for insubordination.
During the pre-lock up physical the physician noted that “C” had high blood pressure, running a fever and was in a weakened state. He decided he is unfit to sit in jail and gave ordered him to bed for a number of days.
The IDF Spokesman’s Office stated that soldiers are given a fair solution to such problems, basically ignoring the details of this specific case.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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31 Responses
Just like in Russia. Yidden being moiser nefesh against the rishoyim in the Army and keeping kosher despite all odds!
They better get to the bottom of this.
If he is a resident of KIryat Shemona, surely Rav Drori will help to solve this craziness. (if the story is true!!)
This is a strange twist to being mekadesh Hashem.Here we see proof again that the Jewish State is NOT Jewish. Why so much animosity towards our own young precious young men when they train to defend their country and aren’t able to do so like an eved Hashem? Why this self-destructive behavior on the part of our zionistic brothers? Aren’t we ONE nation?
If he is so worried about the food why is he in the army?
The Tzahal was always a place for anti-semites. There are a few fair areas within the army, but mostly are made up of chilonim who hate those who wish to be Jewish.
Though this is lamentable, it is the result of the Jew hating leftists running this government, and it will only get worse.
This is not a government for the poeple. It is a government against the people!
Face the facts. This is a communistic dictatorship! Politicians ar not responsible to the poeple. They are responsible to their own egos and pocketbooks.
These is NOT ONE HONEST ONE among them!
Stay strong!
what a weired country. Whats happening there is undescribable.
Welcome to isreal the country that try’s to further itself from yiddishkiet as much as possible. even in america something like this would be unheard of these days
#1, you are so right. Its like the Czarist Army inducting Jews against their will, subjecting them to all sorts of anti-torah doings, forcing treif, etc. Just like what they do beyomim hazeh in eretz yisroel.
Either there is more to the story or the IDF have r’shoyim! how about a some of one and more of the other?
For all of you bashing the Israeli government and army have no right to do so. I am sure that there is more to this story. The army will gladly give mehadrin food for all the people that need it. It is possible that his commander was not religious and was not happy with the fact that he had to have different good. Israel is still a Jewish state. This is not a proof to say otherwise. This is not a communistic dictatorship. The IDF has helped the Jewish State of Israel remain as an entity while being surrounded by Arab countries. The IDF and the government is the reason the Charedim of Israel are able to live. They are protected and controlled by the army and the government. There is no need to bash them.
Ashrecha Shenisfasta al divrei torah!!!! kol hakavod!
Army bases are kosher with a frum mashgiach. Why anyone would need to starve themselves is beyond me. In the army everyone should be treated the same. No exceptions.
Comparisons to Russia are way off base here.
On a base in Israel soldiers have
1.) A Beit Kenesset
2.) Kosher Food
3.) A Rabbi
4.) Other Religous Jews
What more could you ask for. Its the army, not yeshiva!
I know a guy was who thrown out of the IDF for making ba’alei tshuvah. The army couldn’t take it.
I’m very confused about this story this medina calls isreal thay call them self that thay repersentig all jews around the world thay repersenting that thay are keeping save the yidden from around the world. How come that that are not letting keep somebody holding the torah. Let me tell everybody now its coming out the truth that this whole EXSISTING of this land is AGAINST THE TORAH
This seems a bit of an unfortunate story, on both sides – israeli-style over-reactions by the soldier and the officer.
this soldier doesn’t seem to be aware of what is b’dieved kosher. Its better to eat shamar v’ne-evad/heter mechira vegs than to go ill and cause a big fuss. The milk should all be okay, as should bread etc made from imported wheat. how would this make other religious soldiers feel, who do keep kosher and might be uneasy with this “not kosher enough for me” attitude. If he’s choosing to be so strict, then he should bring his own food with.
to anybody…we dont see in the article that they served non kosher food…just that he wanted with his standard of kashruth..so its not as paushut as comparing it to the czarist regime….so all those who state, not jewish state, czarist regime etc, no proof from this episode. here they are discussing his “kashruth standards”
This story proves that all the talk about support for Nachal Charedi and the Hesder Yeshivos by the Israeli Army is just propaganda from those who hate Bnei Torah.
The Rabbanim should publicly declare the Israeli Army off-limits to Bnei and Bnos Torah.
Nonsense. I never had problems getting mehadrin food- althugh there were times in small isolated bases where I doubted the kashrut of the kitchen, since there, there is no mashgiach and most soldiers aren’t religious.
Still, once I told my commanding officer, they sent a mashgiach to deal with it and I had my mehadrin food with kosher keylim and so on.
Something is missing from the story.
Anyone care to wonder why this fellow is not in Nachal Chareidi? Moreover, if the mehadrin food was not available for whatever reason, he has a clear heter to eat the regular fare; especially since it is kosher. That he chose not to, is his issue, not the army’s, and he he is not entitled to any dispensation from his duties due to his choice to not eat.
Baruch hashem if jent1150 and sammygol can agree here, then there is hope!
sammygold (you earned that metal for coming to shalom with jent), one can choose his Yeshiva wisely to ensure proper adherence to appropriate kashrus standards Hence your comparison is a bad one between the Army and a Yeshiva. You can’t choose the Army. You are drafted. Yeshiva’s don’t have drafts. And the Army doesn’t necessarily allow you to choose your unit or placement. They decide.
And it isn’t a chumra. Many people hold that you must use a certain kashrus standard because it is the only reliable standard to insure BASIC adherence to kashrus. So they demand Badatz and not Rabbunit, cause they see Rabbunit as insufficiently maintaining BASIC kashrus. Just look at the MONDAY – THURSDAY kashrus standards (story from a few days ago) at the Rabbunit. Fri & Shabbos treif is ok? Or at least no kosher supervision.
I’m uncertain as to why everybody takes this story at face value; is it simply because it stokes random emotions that many harbor?
From my personal experience in the army, in a non-Charadi unit, there were two levels of kashrut available for anybody interested. There was standard rabbanut for individuals who did not have any particular demands, and then there was Bais Yosef for Sephardim or anybody that happened to be makpid on Chalak.
To accept every news story at face value is to be a fool. To resent every news story at face value is to be a cynic. It is time that people begin to critically evaluate what they are reading and respond logically, not with raw emotion.
I don’t know that the comment comparing the IDF and its bureaucracy to Czarist Russia should have been posted, let alone be given credence.
I agree with #20, I appreciate #21’s personal anecdote. As many posters have stated, it appears there is something missing to this story. Those looking for an excuse to criticize, will of course see something nefarious going on here, but it would appear to me that is an exception that proves the rule. Despite #19’s rant, there are many shomer Shabbos yidden in the IDF, who keep kashrus to a high standard, and we are not constantly hearing stories like this one. You have one soldier complaining, and on this comment string alone we already have one commentator (#21) who can personally attest to the opposite.
#11
“The IDF and the government is the reason the Charedim of Israel are able to live”
its the other way around
i havent read all the comments (i know what they will be), but in zahal, EVERYONE eventually is put in the “brig” for some silly offense. it doesnt really mean much!
What is the shock about an Army that is built on, lives and breathes pritzus and immorality should be opposed to rigorous kashrus?
I certainly agree with the commenters above who point out this is another, in a long line of, lesson to insure that a Ben Torah, or indeed any Jew who values halacha, should not be in the Israeli Army.
#26 EXCELLENT POINT!
#23 GOOD RETORT.
Berliner, Not a single conflict the zionist entity has engaged in is halachically classified as a milchamas mitzvah. So your point is moot. (This is aside from the fact that the State’s entire existence is contrary to halacha.)
rabbiofberlin- 1-you write “But then, this is what the extremist chareidim have done for a hundred years.”
I long smelled that you’re true to your name.. the non-extremists/ non-chareidim in berlin would have appreciated you as their rabbi.
2- you also state: “It is patently obvious that the ones who do not believe in the medinah will find anything to discredit it”
I think you didn’t express yourself properly. The term “believing in something” is usually used as in religion, principles or theory, etc. Medina doesn’t seem to fit in here. (I’m not satmar btw)
Berliner, if you throw your lot with the zionist ym’s, woe is to you if your fate is as is theirs. As I’ve said on previous occasion, it is NEVER too late, as long as you having a living breath in your body, to do complete teshuva.