The actions of six Nachshon Battalion soldiers and two Shimshon Battalion soldiers, all components of the Kfir Brigade, have launched a renewed hatred campaign against the right-wing and religious communities. In essences, the campaign was launched on schedule, coinciding with the annual ceremonies marking the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin.
In the sights of the left-wing radicals today is the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Birkat Yosef in Yishuv Elon Moreh, HaRav Elyakim Levanon Shlita, an outspoken advocate of Eretz Yisrael HaSheleima. The media is seeking to portray the rav as an extremist, a radical, seeking to delegitimize him, taking quotes out of context and using his statements inappropriately to depict an unrealistic character portrait of a talmid chacham.
Rav Levanon did speak with the media following the recent acts of defiance in which some of his students were involved, calling on the IDF and government to avoid giving orders which are deemed “illegal and immoral” and therefore, not within the realm of acceptable actions. The rav explained that in this case, he prefers to quote a well-respected member of Israel’s left-wing community, a recently retired career politician aligned with the left, Yossi Sarid, who announced some 15 years ago that if he is called upon to evict Arabs from their village during IDF reserve duty, he will refuse such immoral orders, a statement that was met with praise from the left-wing camp. The rav called on the army to treat Jews at least as well as Arabs, and not worse.
The left has also tied this in, albeit not seamlessly, with the arrest of Yaakov Teital and the publication of a sefer by Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Ohd Yosef Chai in Yitzhar, all timed to coincide with the Rabin yahrzeit. Rav Shapira’s sefer deals with the Rambam on matters pertaining to when one may kill a non-Jew and the obligation of Gentiles to adhere to the seven Noahide laws. The sefer states explicitly that this halacha is just a discussion and theoretical, not a handbook calling for action, stressing no one may take the law into one’s own hands. Nevertheless, the media has published banner headlines (http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=41807) with captions including “License to Kill”.
And yet another example, perhaps the most recent and most potent, involving prominent Channel 2 correspondent Ronny Daniel, who has already called to cut off hesder yeshivas, using the recent ‘rebellion’ in Nachshon and Shimshon to justify the dismantling of the hesder program.
Daniel, a military correspondent, used Rav Levanon’s statements to justify his brazen call to dismantle hesder, along with statements from Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, the rosh yeshiva of the Har Bracha Hesder Yeshiva.
Daniel accused the hesder roshei yeshiva of encouraging soldiers to defy orders, adding “it is not enough to punish the yeshivas” since they do not learn their lesson. He called for ending the long-standing [financial and logistical] arrangement that exists between the Defense Ministry and the yeshivot, to cut off their funding.
Former IDF Chief or Personnel Branch Major-General Elazar Stern, a shomer shabbat yid affiliated with the dati leumi community, worked to bring down hesder during his tenure, Baruch Hashem, without success.
Military officials responding to the recent rebellion in Kfir Brigade have stated if they learn that any hesder yeshiva does indeed encourage insubordination, they will recommend that the arrangement for funding for that school is abruptly terminated.
One lawmaker who understands is MK (Ichud HaLeumi) Yaakov Katz, who is a pioneer in the building of yishuvim throughout Yehuda and Shomron, a disabled IDF veteran himself, a former member of an elite combat unit and the father of several IDF combat officers, explained that soldiers and officers must obey orders but if an order is a “black flag” for someone, calling upon him to cross an ideological boundary that he is incapable of crossing, then he can refuse and he must bear the consequences of such a decision.
“I can respect that” explained Ketzaleh, who simply stated that at the end of the day, a person must live with one’s beliefs, and at times, one’s beliefs may also carry consequences.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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6 Responses
Of course the hilonim are horrified. The whole idea of getting frum people in the army was that they would “see the light” and become “normal”. Soldiers unwilling to be assimilated into secular society are a threat to the existence of the zionist movement. Traditional hareidim are bad enough, but to be honest, throwing diapers or even pebbles isn’t an existential threat to the State of Israel. Having thousands of real Jews in the army, with real guns, and knowing how to use them is probably a bigger threat to Israel than Iran. Given the current demographic crisis, there is a real danger that the army will some day consist, at least in the lower ranks, of non-secular Jews, who might mutiny and seize the government and attempt to found a Jewish state.
From the point of the zionist elite, this is a real threat.
the left wing does not need eretz yisrael any more. they like to go back to the EU were they fell very comfortable were they think they are loved
What nonsense posted by akuperma (#1). If nonsecular Jews wish to form the type of state that he is describing, under the circumstances that he describes (i.e. that the demographics cause a religious majority) they can do so—legally. At the ballot box.
He is describing a military coup de’ etat. thank heaven, our soldiers are loyal. Or does akuperma know something about religious soldiers that I do not?
A few less subsidies, a few more frum soldiers, a work ethic honoring the command shesheis yomim t’avod, a little less reactionary name-calling of the frei, toning down Shabbos demonstrations, and no more “academic” articles justifying the killing gentile babies . . .all would help. Both sides are to blame for the frum/frei divide in Eretz Yisroel.
I’m proud of these religious soldiers. they refuse to act like the Nazi soldiers who “followed orders” to destroy the lives of totally innocent people.
We are a moral people, who act according to the values of our Torah–Chesed and Rachamim for our fellow-Jews. We are not like Amalek and Sodom, who follow the laws of indecency and evil.
Deepthinker (#6) Shkoyach; you have joined the ranks of those who trivialize the Churban Europe – by making an insensitive and, in my opinion, stupid and ill conceived comparison of those with whom you disagree to Nazis. Grow up man – the two situations should not be uttered in the same breath.