JERUSALEM — A senior Haredi rabbi has warned ultra-Orthodox students from the United States studying in Israel not to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, arguing that the military is being used as a tool to undermine religious life.
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Speaking to hundreds of foreign yeshiva students this week, Rabbi Yehoshua Aichenstein, head of the Yad Aharon Yeshiva and a figure associated with Degel HaTorah, said American students often misunderstand Israeli society and are “naïve” about calls for equal military service.
“There is real religious freedom in the United States,” Aichenstein said, contrasting it with Israel, which he described as a state founded on a secular Zionist ideology. He argued that the military was designed to create a new national identity and that service frequently leads to religious decline, including among religious-Zionist soldiers.
המסר של הרב אייכנשטיין, מראשי "יתד נאמן" לצעירים אמריקאים שחושבים להתגייס למרות שאינם חייבים (לא ישראלים): "באמריקה יש חופש דת, כאן הדת היא הציונות ורוצים לעשות כור היתוך. כתוב שיעקב היה איש תם, אבל זה לא תמיד. ליד הרשע אסור להיות תמים".
מתוך כנס של ארגון "אגודים" של "עזרם… pic.twitter.com/VX3ECJIhQv— שילה פריד🇮🇱 (@shilofreid) December 25, 2025
Haredi organizations opposing conscription say they are increasingly alarmed by a growing number of U.S.-born ultra-Orthodox students who arrive in Israel for yeshiva study and later express interest in enlisting, particularly after months of war. Some have volunteered for service despite not being Israeli citizens and not being legally required to serve.
The remarks were delivered at a gathering organized by “Agudim,” a new initiative launched by the Haredi assistance group Ezram U’Meginam, which is working to dissuade foreign students from joining the military through outreach efforts and a hotline for those considering enlistment.
Event organizers said the speech reflected clear rabbinic guidance and urged students to follow what they described as the direction of senior Torah authorities.
First, in Judaism there is no such thing as a “senior rabbi” rank mentioned in this article. Unfortunately, we don’t even have a real smicha in the past fifteen hundred years. In our time, all talmidei chachomim are part of the chain that transmits mesorah misinai. There are no official ranks. No “senior rabbi”, no “grand rabbi”, and no officially appointed or hyped-up “gedolim”. We are not catholics, and we don’t have popes.
Second, once he said American and temimus in the same sentence, it became obvious that his speech was not about Torah and mesorah misinai, but his personal opinions, and that his personal opinions can be severely misinformed.
I am not agreeing or arguing with his opinion about the IDF. All I am pointing out to is the obvious sheker contained in the article.
Did I just hear him say: American culture is temimusdike culture??
I think people need to stop rebelling against every single Rabbi that stands up and says something they don’t personally like. You don’t lecture your accountant or plumber when you know nothing about their practice, you don’t stand up with your Elementary School level of learning and protest the rabbi who sat with the book 50 years straight. Learn to respect their experience. If you know better then you become the rabbi and we’ll read articles about you
“Senior” Rabbi ???
What does a rabbi have to do to attain “senior“ status
This is shameless electioneering, each protecting their own turf. These “senior“ Rabbi’s are no different than politicians protecting their own turf. Let the bashing begin.
Frumyid18 the gemara is very clear that those who would call torah learners parasites are called apikorsim and have no chelek in olam haba
It’s amazing how so many people here who would identify as frum right wingers have the exact same position as extreme Israeli secular leftists.
This is an issue that spins my head. I think that this is the case for many frum yidden.
Each side brings out ideas that I can sympathize with. Why should it be that only non-chareidi people put their lives on the line in the defense of all the Jews of Israel?
On the other hand, their is a legitimate concern (given the history of the non-frum leaders) that the IDF will contaminate and change any charedi who joins. This will change Chareidi devotion to Torah and mitzvos, that they have practiced for a lot longer than the existence of Zionism.
In the end, some “pshora” needs to reached that will ease the anger and concerns of all. To reach that point spins everybody’s head.
How dare he religious freedom in the USA? Has he seen the increase of about 500% of
Jew
hatred and
antisemitism in the
USA is he blind !! Better
A Jew stays in In Israel
Then comes to this country that is going down fast
because we are being infiltrated by Islamic terrorists.
Qatar is buying Professors and poisoning
everybody to kill Jews. It’s open season on Jews in the USA wake up.
The reason for all the cynicism is that unfortunately many of the Rabbonim on the right have lost credibility with the masses because of the perception that their priorities are off. The actual priorities of any particular Rav is a separate question, but there is definitely this perception of them. And sadly, it’s because as a group there are way too many “gedolim” who have so lost their way, calling emergencies for co-ed concerts but tolerating rampant gzeilah in their communities on issues like massive fraud. They aren’t showing leadership. They aren’t guiding the masses except on their “pet” issues and so they have lost respect as a whole. As a result, when a “hareidi” Rav with a long beard gets up and says something not popular regarding a highly charged political issue, he starts with little credibility except perhaps to those who already know him.
Yes it’s true that’s what the army was designed for by the rasha Ben Gurion. But that’s not the case anymore. This is a case of charedi fear mongoring. The Zionists today don’t believe in shmading the frum. It’s a very different society . There is zero evidence to make this claim. Of course there are anecdotal stories that point to it. But it’s a few bad actors and not systematic
. Even the idea that they allow exclusively charedi balletons is something Ben Guruon would have never let
Yakov was not next to a Roshoh? Wasn’t he next to Eisov in the womb? But he is right, Eisov was not a Roshoh he was a very forgiving person, he did not retain a grudge.