Baruch Hashem, the IDF has taken a step towards accommodating chareidi recruits as the number of chareidim in the military continues to increase.
What is sad however is the fact that while the general media takes every advantage to engage in chareidi-bashing regarding military service, even when several tens are arriving at the Bakum Induction Base, the media coverage is negative. The media rarely cites statistics showing the number of secular male inductees continues to drop annually, opting to target the chareidim.
The matter appears serious enough that in Wednesday’s daily Yediot Achronot, the nation’s largest newspaper, the induction of the chareidim was deemed significant enough to insert the story as one of the sub headlines on the front page reading “The chareidim are coming – female soldiers out”.
What is actually taking place is the IDF realizes that in order to enable chareidim to serve in the military, certain changes must be implemented towards accommodating a Torah lifestyle. Many changes have been seen over the years in Netzach Yehuda, more commonly known as Nachal Chareidi.
This group of inductees represents another wave of chareidim entering the air force’s technical training program, training them for various technical non-combatant positions in the IAF. To date, the program has been labeled a major success by senior air force commanders, but rather than focus on that positive note, Yediot opts to lament the fact that female soldiers in Bakum were distances from their posts on Wednesday to accommodate the chareidi recruits.
The rabbis who ‘escort’ the yeshiva bochrim through the process explained that everyone dealing with the new recruits must be male, from the desk soldiers, medical staff giving induction injections and processing, to avoid compromising basic modesty standards.
The army spokesman’s office released a statement praising the induction, adding it has in past years done whatever necessary to accommodate the lifestyle as seen in Netzach Yehuda combat soldiers, finding an acceptable line between the needs of accommodating religious lifestyle without compromising the needs of the military.
It would appear Yediot has a different agenda.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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9 Responses
KOL HAKAVOD its nice to finely see them giving back the our medin, its to bad that its such a small number, may hashem bless all the chayalim in the IDF
So tell us about the Hareidi officers? How about the Navy and Air Force?
Even though “Dati” soldiers have served with distinction, and have been a significant percentage in the elite units whose secular alumni tend to reach the highest ranks, the number of “dati” senior commanders are minimal.
Perhaps one should understand “accommodation” as being similar to the famous “Buffalo soldiers” who served with distinction in the American army from the civil war through World War II – but why should a Jew want to have all the rights of what African Americans had during Jim Crow?
I don’t trust the secular IDF. Remeber, Ben_Gurion stated, very clearly, that he mission of the Idf is to be a “Bais YotZer HaUMah”–a tool for secularizing and assimilating all the disparate immigrants who come to Israel.
All this could be a temporary accomodation to entice the Hareidim to enter the Idf, subject to change without notice!
#4 – the secular Israelis have always interpreted the phrase to mean creating a “modern” (meaning a secular, free of the yoke of Torah) nation. THe “dati’im” are naive to think otherwise.
To the secular rulers of Israel, we have a status similar to Blacks under Jim Crow, which is why my analogy to the colored regiments (most famous were the mounted “Buffalo soldiers” )is accurate.
How painful that Charedim have joined the Zionist IDF, which the whole intention of the IDF is to erase Yiddishkeit.
Starting this article with “Baruch Hashem” is a disgrace.
to king cup ( not king kop)
If you would have denigrated (that means put down)the gov’t/zionist movement, we could have argued. But to claim the BASIS of the IDF is anti-charedi!?, just discredits your whole position.
#8. Calm down. Your sentiments are praiseworthy but how dare you take another persons chesbon. You are saying that the best IDF has no merits greater than the worst observant Jew in all areas of judgement.
#8- joseph, don’t play g-d.
#8 “How dare you say Baruch Hashem. Be ******* Hashem for this! Don’t dare bless him over this!”
I strongly encourage doing teshuva for what you have written. I’m sure you didn’t mean it that way, but such a phrase should not be put into writing like that.
Furthermore, I would add that there are G’dolim who have advocated Nachal Chareidi for certain individuals and those posting should have their kavod in mind. Serving in the IDF can be a huge mitzvah for some as it involves hatzalas nefashos, certainly there are many frum Jews who should not be in there, but we shouldn’t be judging people.