Rabbis Slam IDF for Targeting Chareidi Soldiers in Punishment

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idf-chareidi-2Rabbis of the Nachal Chareidi Foundation voiced their criticism Thursday after four soldiers of the Nachal Chareidi Brigade were jailed earlier in the day for calling to “eliminate the terrorists,” part of an online protest following the murder of three Israeli teens.

Two of the four posted a picture on Facebook of themselves standing behind a sheet of paper with a message that said “Bibi, let us eliminate the terrorists,” using the nickname for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. They were sentenced to ten days in jail, after the IDF on Wednesday threatened to use a “strong arm” punishing soldiers calling for revenge.

“There’s no argument that the act the soldiers did is unacceptable, but at such a sensitive time for chareidi IDF enlist, after the IDF published figures on the rapid decline in chareidi enlistment, and amid hundreds of soldiers who posted similar statuses – it’s not right to punish and publish specifically the chareidi soldiers,” said the rabbis in a statement.

Indeed, Rabbi Avraham Baron, former Chairman for 25 years of the Hesder Yeshivas Association which combines IDF service and Torah study, last week called on the Supreme Court to cancel the Enlistment Law, citing the IDF figures and saying “no chareidim are enlisting.”

In their statement, the Nachal Chareidi Foundation rabbis added that they “spoke about the incident with the soldiers and explained to them that it’s unacceptable. Along with that, we intend to continue discussing with the soldiers about it in the framework of Torah classes that we give them, and in the framework of private discussions.”

“However, we would expect from the IDF to exercise extra sensitivity with the chareidi soldiers. The Enlistment Law severely harmed the number of draftees and their morale. Taking additional drastic steps and publishing them – it may be the right act but it really is not beneficial,” noted the rabbis.

Read more at Arutz Sheva.

{Matzav.com Israel}


5 COMMENTS

  1. On the contrary, Chareidi soldiers should always conduct themselves at the highest level. We should be held to a higher standard because we have (or should have ) a higher level of awareness of what is right or wrong and a higher sense of responsibility.

  2. So the government has now clarified that a Haredi will be targeted for disrespect and a possible jail sentence whether or not he enlists !

  3. Reportedly singling out the soldiers of Nahal Haredi among the hundreds who went on Facebook calling for “revenge” after the murder of the three boys, jailing four of them for ten days

  4. Oldtimer, I don’t disagree with your point, but it should be said these soldiers are not monsters who go around hurting people. They are fools who wrote inappropriate words and that was it. They are observant (or at least, as observant as they know about) but they come from traditional homes, not from homes of Torah scholars, and their ignorance is actually the very reason they enlisted, as well as the reason they are posting photos and statements on Facebook (a haredi on FB?). They said something very stupid and which certainly should be even less tolerated from a “Charedi” but can we blame them for the fact some liar deceived their grandparents or grand-grandparents and they have been trying to return to the fold ever since. They get a load of disrespect, and even humiliation, in doing so. We should not dismiss them “they deserve it”, we should be grateful we are not in their place.

  5. I don’t understand. Are they charged for calling for the “elimination of terrorists”, as in Hamas or Al-Qaida? Or were they advocating for the murder of innocent Arab teenagers.
    If the former how are they different from Bibi Natanyahu, Naftali Bennet, or even Barak Obama who are all calling for the “elimination of terrorists”? And if the soldiers were proposing the latter, why has that not been made clearer in the lead post?

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