With Thursday’s scheduled retirement from the IDF of Major-General Elazar Stern, who currently heads the Human Resources Branch of the military, Brigadier-General Avi Zamir will be promoted to the rank of major-general and he will assume the post.

Stern is wrapping up 32 years of military service, during which he was in the eye of the storm for his comments and policies against different segments of the population.

During his tenure in his current post, Stern, a graduate of Yerushalayim’s Netiv Meir Yeshiva High School, who wears a kippa sruga (knitted yarmulke), worked ardently to eliminate hesder yeshivas and mix the frum units with the IDF’s general population, a move that met with fierce opposition by the roshei yeshiva from the hesder yeshivas and Dati Leumi (National Religious) stream.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)