Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz held high-level discussions on Tuesday with senior IDF officials to address the integration of more Charedim into military service. Katz met with Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Amir Baram, Personnel Directorate Chief Major General Dado Bar Kalifa, and Military Advocate General Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi to review proposals aimed at increasing enlistment within the Charedi community.
“We must create a framework that respects the values of the Charedi community while ensuring their contribution to national defense,” Katz said. “Our goal is to draft up to 50% of eligible Charedi men within seven years.”
During the meeting, Katz was presented with detailed plans designed to balance military service with limud torah and halachic observance.
Katz stressed the importance of specialized enlistment tracks that accommodate Charedim, saying, “The success of these programs is essential. We need to show that military service and Torah study can coexist.”
Efforts to legislate a new draft framework have faced persistent hurdles since the Supreme Court struck down previous exemptions, citing violations of equality principles. “The court’s decision leaves us no choice but to find a path forward that reflects fairness and responsibility,” Katz noted.
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Yuli Edelstein expressed reservations about current proposals, saying, “While I respect the need for integration, the numbers presented so far do not meet the demands required for true equality.”
Opposition parties have largely dismissed compromise efforts. “A universal draft is the only solution,” one opposition MK insisted. “Anything less undermines the principle of shared burden and fairness.”
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16 Responses
A universal draft is the only solution,” one opposition MK insisted. “Anything less undermines the principle of shared burden and fairness.” – in other words: Anything less than COMPLETE SHMAD R”L IS UNACCEPTABLE!
these Zionists never learn, we frum will NOT serve the Zionists, we serve the Ribono Shel Olom, our learning protects the Zionists, they have everything inverted where they think they are protecting us.
A few הערות
1) “Our goal is to draft up to 50% of eligible Charedi men within seven years.”
I love the words up to because even 1% accomplishes the goal
2) “A universal draft is the only solution,” one opposition MK insisted. “Anything less undermines the principle of shared burden and fairness.”
I can only guess which party’s MK said that, either Lieberman or Lapid
3) I think there will be more chilonim that will be חוזר בתשובה than chareidim will be in the army in the next 7 years
why abide by these terrible labels. just jews and non jews.
I think ideally everyone besides shvet levi should serve in the army. perhaps allow for people to swap if a levi finds himself more suited for army or yisroel is a great talmud chacham.
Terrible! תורה תורה חגרי שק, terrible that it has come this far already…. The Shechina is thrown to the ground through our actions אוי ויי . How can we possibly justify ourselves in front of the מדת הדין? What will be??
@sensibleyid – the Rambam paskens in perek 13 hilchos shmita v’yovel that not only shevet levi, rather anyone that dedicates himself to sit and learn Torah and serve hashem, does not join the army for war.
It seems that the minister is working hard to accommodate Charedim, while some on the left would like to ignore their interests. So, it is now up to Charedi community – they either negotiate and cooperate with the current government to come with a system that works for everyone and ignore leftist positions; or reject all cooperation, and then the rest of the country will unite behind a proposal that ignores their requests.
@my2cents: nowhere does the Rambam add the words “does not join the army for war”, that’s your interpretation and a very dachuk interpretation, at best.
Schnitzel he does not even join the work force let alone the idf
We can start discussing drafting Israeli Chareidim after the Israeli state starts drafting Israeli citizen Arabs.
Chareidim are entitled to at least as much deferal from the draft as the Israeli Arabs are.
@To all frustrated readers.
Calm down. He doesn’t mean It seriuos at alll. His sole Intention is to lower the tensions In Israel of why chareidim are not joingin the army In times of war.
Learn the distance between a polition’s words and his Intentions. Welcome to the politic world.
Lbj, as far the non-Leviim go, it is a promise which one can be zoche to , not a Halochik p’tur. Read the Rambam.
lbj > Schnitzel he does not even join the work force let alone the idf
of course, same Rambam writes that T’Ch should generally support himself and be nice to people, forget about forcing others to pay for his lomdus thru taxes.
@SchnitzelBigot don’t know which sentence you don’t understand in the Rambam. he writes : …לא עורכין מלחמה כשאר ישראל”
sensibleyid:
That isn’t very sensible, considering the shmad that is Zionism and its army.
@sensibleyid
if you dont know the difference between talmud and talmid maybe keep your opinion to yourself…