The former Har Bracha Hesder Yeshiva has officially ceased to exist this week, with officials taking the steps to bring the program to an end. Har Bracha was ousted from the nationwide hesder network as a result of the unilateral decision by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who alleges the rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed simply incites his talmidim to refuse orders when they do not comply with his hashkafa.

The new program is ironically more similar with yeshivas in the chareidi world, permitting talmidim to learn Torah until age 22, at which time that must declare their intentions, to serve in the IDF or continue learning, in compliance with the Tal Law.

Yeshiva officials explain that they have worked to assist former talmidim now in hesder to find a new framework to permit them to complete their IDF service in a Torah atmosphere, to avoid having them ‘mainstreamed’ into the regular army.

According to Yisrael HaYom, most of the 100 talmidim in the various years of the hesder program have moved to nearby Elon Moreh‘s hesder yeshiva, but a few have informed the army they are unwilling to move and they are halting all their military activities until a solution is found. Some have been sent to jail, refusing to change yeshivot and unwilling to be ‘mainstreamed’ in the army.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)