Defense Minister Approves Controversial Plan to Send Draft Orders to Charedim in August

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A Rabbi has words with an ultra-Orthodox Jewish soldier from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion in the Israeli army on Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem, 26 May 2013. EPA/JIM HOLLANDER

ISRAEL (VINnews) — In a move that could send shockwaves reverberating throughout the Charedi community, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that the IDF is ready to begin drafting Charedim–en masse–as soon as next month. According to some reports, a total of 3,000 Charedim may receive draft orders, although the numbers appear to not be finalized as yet.

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Following a Tuesday meeting with top military officials, Gallant released a statement saying he “approved the IDF’s recommendation to issue [draft] orders” to members of the ultra-Orthodox community next month, “in accordance with the [IDF’s] absorption and screening capabilities, and after a significant process of refining the existing data regarding potential recruits is carried out.”

The statement added that Gallant and military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said that drafting Charedim is an “operational necessity and a complex social issue” that requires allowing soldiers to “maintain their lifestyle.”

The contentious Charedi draft issue has been a source of strife for years, however it faced many delays and hurdles which prevented it from being enacted on a large scale. This announcement could mark a major turning point, which may have a huge impact on the funding and lifestyle of Charedim for years to come.

At Gallant’s request, Maj. Gen. (res.) Eliezer Shkedi wrote a lengthy report laying out how the country could effectively recruit and integrate members of the ultra-Orthodox community into the IDF.

The army faces a problem, though, of how to decide which men to draft from the pool of 63,000 Charedi yeshiva students. To assist the process, the military recently requested information from the National Insurance Institute regarding the employment history of the pool.

The ministry said that an “information campaign for the ultra-Orthodox population” would also be launched next month, showing the various “service paths adapted to the ultra-Orthodox in the IDF, per the recommendations of the Shkedi Committee.”

Last week Kan News reported that a leaked internal IDF memo stated that drafting tens of thousands of Charedim is ‘neither possible nor practical.’ It was also noted that screening would required to enable the Charedi draft based on prioritization.

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bradley
bradley
7 months ago

August? wow we are in for a fun-filled bein hazmanim

Needs to be said
Needs to be said
7 months ago

This is only about jealousy and nothing more. These first class רשעים גימורים Don’t want anything other than spilled “chareydi” (whatever that word means) blood.

Sara
Sara
7 months ago

So Sad! They gave away Gush Katif!! And now sacrificing our precious neshamos for a war that should have never happened and will happen again all because we Didn’t listen to the Rebbe, yep Bibi I’m talkin to you! YOU WERE IN YECHIDUS!! YOU HEARD WHAT THE REBBE SAID!! DONT GIVE AWAY OUR LAND!!

Educated Archy
Educated Archy
7 months ago

Dumb and dumber. Money won’t scare them (Plenty of rich billionaire ameircans and you can only punish the men). They will never listen , they aren;t fit physcially or mentally and it would drain the iDF. I know morally they should but too bad thats life. get over it and don’t be stupid

Judith
Judith
7 months ago

What took so long ?