On Tuesday, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Yitzhak Yosef, renewed his rejection of compulsory service for Haredi religious people in the Israeli army.
The leader of the Eastern Jewish community said in a new statement: “Whoever receives a conscription order should tear it apart. If he is imprisoned, the head of the religious institute will come to him to teach him in prison.”
The Chief Rabbi incited the members of his community to disobey the summons and told them: “Do not go.”
In a video clip published by the Ynet website, the Chief Rabbi of Israel was heard speaking against the recruitment of extremist members into the Israeli army: “This will not succeed... and it is in the Torah... every son of the Torah is exempt from going to the army, even those who are unemployed and do not study.” ".
In the video, Rabbi Yosef said that he visited the wounded soldiers and also toured the Taslim base, where he met devout soldiers and some who were not religious.
He says in the clip: “All the best to the army for its effort, and we appreciate what they are doing... But without the Torah, where will we end up? Instead of giving more budgets to religious schools, they send conscription orders.”
Earlier, the Ynet website revealed that the Israeli army will summon thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews for military service early next week, despite the ongoing protests against the decision.
He explained, "The army believes that sending summonses will enable it to recruit the required numbers, and that it cannot rely solely on those who want to recruit voluntarily."
Last June 25, the Supreme Court decided to oblige the Haredim to conscript into the army, and to prevent financial aid from religious institutions whose students refuse military service.
On Tuesday evening, the Haredim organized a protest in the city of Bnei Brak (central), the majority of whose residents are Haredim, to express their rejection of military service.
"Haredim" in brief
The Haredim constitute about 13 percent of Israel's population of approximately 9.9 million people.
The Haredim do not serve in the army and say they devote their lives to studying the Torah in schools and yeshivas to preserve the people's identity.
The law requires every Israeli male and female over the age of 18 to serve in the military.
The exclusion of "Haredim" from service has always sparked controversy over the past decades, but their failure to serve in the military in conjunction with the ongoing war on Gaza and the losses of the Israeli army has increased the intensity of the controversy, as secular parties demand that religious people participate in "bearing the burdens of war."
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