IDF Excludes Haredi Rabbis

Most haredim avoid serving in the army by staying in yeshiva. The IDF has barred haredim like this from taking jobs as army rabbis.

IDF excluding haredi rabbis
Officers training base commander decides to bar candidates who did not complete full army service from taking part in training course for IDF rabbis, effectively disqualifying ultra-orthodox cadets
Kobi Nahshoni • Ynet

The Military Rabbinate was forced to cancel the participation of several cadets in a training course for military rabbis that opened at the IDF's officers training base on Sunday, after the base's commander refused to accept to the course people who had not completed full military service.

This decision effectively disqualifies almost all ultra-Orthodox candidates from becoming army rabbis, most of whom postpone their enlistment in order to study Torah and end up doing minimal service.

In the past many haredim were appointed military rabbis and served as officers although they did not do a three-year army service. Until several years ago they constituted the majority of military rabbis.

The Military Rabbinate, which has been busy preparing the course and recruiting cadets in recent months, tried to reverse the decision but failed.

M., who was scheduled to start the course Sunday was told to stay at home, told Ynet: "It is absurd that candidates who studied more Torah and therefore did a shorter army service cannot serve as rabbis in the IDF, although they seem to be the most fitting and deserving candidates, while those who preferred other programs to studying in a yeshiva are admitted to the course."
 
This is not the first time the Military Rabbinate and the officers training base are at loggerheads over the rabbis' course. About a month ago, the base commander disqualified the course's original curriculum and ordered the Rabbinate to include more military content and less religious studies in the course.

Comments

[Joel Katz]

Shmarya,

Can we assume that this decision does not affect Hesder soldiers who only serve 16-24 months of military service?

Joel

Religion and State in Israel

[Shmarya]

That's correct. Only haredim.

[MisterApikoros]

The role of rabbis in Israel should be the same as that of chaplains in the US military.

While I don't believe this ruling is entirely fair, I also believe all armed forces, including the IDF, should be secular.

[Ben]

Kudos to the base commander. A Rabbi who preaches and practiced avoidance of army service as a preferred alternative should be kept away. I hope this rule stands forever, although I would not hold my breath.

[Ben]

I have no doubt that Haredi money grabbing parasitic morally corrupt empire will strike back very soon.

[The Monsey Tzadik]

How those rabbis now are going to feed their 12 chldren ?

[Honestlyfrum]

Any rabbi who refuses to serve and advocates to his students not to serve has no right paskening for the army. There are plenty of talmidei chachamim in the Hesder community that we do not need charedi poskim in the Army, those like Ilya Weintraub, who so denigrated the army and the holy soldiers during the Gaza war.

[pierre]

Good. They draw lines against others all the time, they should get used to the idea of it happening to them. These are the same charedim seeking control of a government they are ideologically opposed to, and control of a Rabbinut they vehemently disregard - AND that has sweeping influence over the significant life decisions of population for whom they are often *proud* to show they have no sympathy or comprehension of - why give them YET ANOTHER zone in which they can coerce and manipulate the hearts and minds of others? A zone of LIFE AND DEATH decisions?

[Russian PhD]

The next step is to exclude the Haredim from the human commonweal at all

[Isa]

army rabbis- military rabbis
Note only officers can be considered proper Israeli Army Rabbis.-The rest are 'religious privates, sargents' or what ever. In charge of keeping the kitchens kosher and other such duties.
Why deal with a heredi nut that want to toss all the strawberries out because of 'bugs' While a MO religious kitchen supervisor will simply wash the strawberries. Or how about leading prayers and the heredi nut will refuse to say the prayer for the government whereas the MO religious sargent will SING the Hativa AND raise the flag in the morning.
The hell with the heredim and their chumrot

[nobody]

"Any rabbi who refuses to serve and advocates to his students not to serve has no right paskening for the army."

Who says that these haredi candidates for army rabbi ever advocated people not to serve in the army? Would such a person ever apply to be a rabbi in the army?
As to "refusing to serve" this is obviously not the case, as the article itself states "This decision effectively disqualifies almost all ultra-Orthodox candidates from becoming army rabbis, most of whom postpone their enlistment in order to study Torah and end up doing minimal service."

That is, they do less than a full 3-year service, but they still do serve for less time. So they are not "against serving." That should be obvious to any logical person. In the same way, the hesder yeshiva students who serve only 16-24 months, which is also less than 3 years, because part of the time is spent studying Torah instead, are also not against serving, and are in fact all for it.

The response here reveals the hypocrisy of failedmessiah.com readership. At least by those who usually comment here.