JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In an interview with Serugim, the soldiers suspended for reciting the Shma on a loudspeaker system in a Jenin mosque last week responded to their suspension and explained why they felt the need to say Shema there and why the decision to suspend them was wrong and politically motivated. The soldiers are due to complete their week-long suspension and return to their reserve unit for duty.
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בהמשך לפרסום מאתמול על השמעת שיר חנוכה ברמקולים של מסגד בג’נין (אחרי שעצרו את כל הנוכחים במסגד), היום מפרסם עמית סגל, הכתבלב של ביבי, חייל ישראלי שקורא תפילת שמע ישראל ברמקולים של המסגד. pic.twitter.com/i2PHZnn2TL
— B.M. (@ireallyhateyou) December 14, 2023
G, a reserve combat soldier who fought in Jenin and came to the mosque, said that “We left everything, children, family and work and came for intensive warfare including explosions, booby trap devices and terrorist infrastructure. Instead of focusing on victory and on the harsh fighting, they focus on a Shema Yisrael which was designed to raise morale in the battalion. The lack of support is a huge blow for soldiers who are putting their lives on the line for the nation and the country.”
G. describes how a few hours earlier the soldiers had located explosive devices which could “blow up armored vehicles.”
“Jenin isn’t a game of children stonethrowing, there are terrorists bent on doing a repeat of Oct. 7th, Jenin is no different from Gaza, where mosques are being blown up and nobody says its immoral.
“What we wanted to do was to lift spirits, it wasn’t something negative to IDF values and not political. We were in a crazy operation, we were shot at numerous times, there were terrorists wandering around in Jenin and we needed to eliminate them. It is a city full of terror, we found hundreds of walkie-talkies, proving that they act like an organized army. In Jenin there is terror like Gaza, we found significant ammunition and Hamas flags.
G. described how they usually find three or five explosive devices but on this occasion they found 35 with intensive searches. Because some were found in a mosque they weren’t blown up on the spot but taken outside (despite the inherent dangers) and blown up outside the mosque. The mosque was full of ammunition “even in the minaret we found proof that terrorists had fired on soldiers from there and people had warned them of our arrival from there.”
“We went in to rest after this dangerous operation, we ate some snacks and found the loudspeaker, so in order to raise morale we said a few words of inspiration and added Shema Yisrael.”
G. believes the media blew the matter out of proportion, since “Those who condemned it were not the enemy but rather the media, they even reported us as suspended before there was a trial.” He stressed that they had not violated rules or IDF values and had not been told otherwise. They walked in the mosque with shoes which is against Muslim values and nobody said anything about it.
Even the officers didn’t understand the issue. “We felt that the officers including the brigade commander who is Druze understood us and didn’t have much to blame us for, he punished us because the politicians were pressing him too. He didn’t hear our side but got an order from above. The media is strong and sets the tone, they decided our guilt while we were still fighting.”
G. says that morale is now lower, 150 soldiers even threatened to leave but in the end they stayed to protect the region. They are very hurt and angry and feel abandoned over every small matter.” He adds that the media didn’t even describe their amazing and successful work in eradicating terror infrastructure without any losses TG.
“We came to central Jenin, to a mosque full of terror, and said the most important verse for Am Yisrael”, he concluded.
Jewish Force minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sparred with IDF chief of staff Hertzi Halevi on Tuesday over the mosque suspension, claiming that it was wrong and immoral to suspend soldiers for declaring their Jewish values. Halevi said that the action “violated IDF values.”
What the heck is wrong with these amoral politicians!!! Our boys risk their LIVES and some pencil pushing imbeciles, try to destroy the morale of our soldiers! These soldiers are THE example of The IDF!!
Perhaps they should return HOME and let these politicians fight!!
Binyomin Sherr
If there was a way to agree with him more I would.
These soldiers are right. Punishing them is despicable.
Talking about betrayal within this man risked his life and our government whose venomously anti-religious won’t allow him to say the shema in a mosque
.. that i believe he’s allowed to do because there are no statues there, and we Jews are allowed to go into mosques and even pray.
Ben Gvir for prime minister.
Suspension? They should promote him and give him a medal.
We need to boost army morale and not hinder it!! We need to uplift the soldiers and not condemn them for prayer!! I don’t care where they say their prayer and whose feelings get hurt!! The people of Israel are returning to their roots!! The world is waking us up and letting us know who we are. We are the proud Jewish people who are not afraid and no longer cower to the enemy. We are the children of Israel and this holy Israel land belongs to the Jews because G-D gave it to the Jewish people. It is a declaration to the people of Israel that Hashem is our G-D, He is the only one that can save the Jews and righteous humans. No one can take that belief away and the soldiers were absolutely right in declaring that!! The politicians need to refocus on their end goal and that is to eliminate Hamas and their supporters!! The only way to defeat the enemy is with full Emunah and Bitachon, as well as uniting the Jewish people!! Don’t forget October 7th!!!!!!!
I totally agree with this soldier! The high command of the IDF are wrong!
I didn’t join the IDF because they teach you to wait to get attacked before defending yourself. They also say you have to warn the enemy before you can fight back. In simple words, IDF puts its soldiers in risky situations, and sometimes it can be deadly.
The left is disgusting in israel absolutely nauseating
Well Well..what else is new….as if we didn’t all know that this so called Jewish land is everything against any thing tht has to do,with judisam . This government was built from day 1 on כפירה … no news her at all
Well Well..what else is new….as if we didn’t all know that this so called Jewish land is everything against any thing tht has to do,with judisam . This government was built from day 1 on כפירה … no news here at all..
It is awful for Israelis to hear the arab call to prayer from their loudspeakers five times a day. It is nauseating. The soldiers are brave and selfless, they should be treated like the heroes they are. Ben Givir has the right attitude.
ננצח ביחד. Instead of criticizing about what already happened, we still need to stay united.
“What we wanted to do was to lift spirits, it wasn’t something negative to IDF values and not political.” That’s exactly the point. The IDF is, of course, the indoctrination center of Zionism. And Zionism is diametrically opposed to Judaism. Therefore, saying Shema is indeed completely against IDF “values”. And since Zionism is an anti-Jewish political religion, it was indeed political of them to say Shema even though they meant it from a Jewish – not Zionist – perspective.
Albeit this late entry, I still wish to weigh in!
The soldiers should not have broadcast the Sh’ma over the jamja, as enticing as it was, however, considering his immeasurable commitment, he should not have punished. So he made a mistake. You get a senior cammand officer to get up tgere and say Rabotie, this shouldn’t have been. Do not repeat it! FINISHED
These guys are far to dedicated and committed to censure them over this.
The acts of these soldiers needlessly endangered the welfare of IDF soldiers and Jews worldwide. Such acts erode the little international support that Israel has and desperately needs. This video went viral on social media and enraged Muslims worldwide who viewed it as a defilement of their holy places. (We would feel the same way if Muslims yelled Allah Akbhar in our shuls.) Such acts undermine the premise that Israel is fighting in self defense against terror.
If these soldiers can’t recognize the damage that they did then they should be suspended indefinitely.
Well Well..what else is new….as if we didn’t all know that this so called Jewish land is everything against any thing tht has to do,with judisam . This government was built from day 1 on כפירה … no news here at all
They suspend those brave soldiers who risked their lives, because they said the Shema. Yet, the soldiers, who disregarded military protocol, and essentially disobeyed orders, resulting in the horrible deaths of three Israeli hostages, have not been disciplined, and probably never will be.
Israel will win the Ground War. But incidents like this help us lose the media and diplomatic wars. What part of that do you not understand?
Broadcasting a Jewish prayer from a mosque is essentially making a statement the IDF does not wish to make. Had it been any other building, fine. But it’s a religious building. The soldiers made a mistake.