IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot has moved the IDF’s controversial Jewish Identity Section from the direct control of the IDF’s Chief Rabbinate to the Manpower Directorate in order to "preserve the IDF as a national army in a democratic state” after Zionist Orthodox IDF rabbis repeatedly abused the section to use it to teach highly sectarian religio-political theology.
IDF’s Jewish Identity Section Taken From The Exclusive Control Of Zionist Orthodox Rabbis After Repeated Abuses
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
On Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot moved the IDF’s controversial Jewish Identity Section from the direct control of the IDF’s Chief Rabbinate to the Manpower Directorate in order to "preserve the IDF as a national army in a democratic state,” Eidenkot wrote today in a letter to all IDF officers ranked major and higher meant to explain the move, Ha’aretz reported.
The move, which was supported by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, has enraged Zionist Orthodox politicians and rabbis, many of whom lashed out at Eisenkot for the move, which was made after the Jewish Identity Section repeatedly violated IDF policies, rules and regulations by doing things like couching the IDF’s war with Islamic terror groups in Gaza 18 months ago in completely religious terms, making the war into a Jewish jihad of sorts in which Gaza residents were evil and the IDF and Israelis were good and pure. It also allegedly attempted to indoctrinate soldiers to accept the entire biblical Land of Israel – the area roughly including southern Lebanon, much of Jordan and even a small part of Syria – is Jewish land which could be conquered by the IDF and settled by Jews.
The Jewish Identity Section was established in 2001. Its recent repeated forays into politics and its improper use of religion in war were leaked by upset soldiers, and the idea of completely closing the Jewish Identity Section or moving out of the exclusive control of the rabbis apparently took hold in 2014 after the Gaza War when the section’s excesses became known to top IDF brass.
Meanwhile, former IDF Chief Rabbi Avichai Rontzki said Eisenkot’s decision warranted a political crisis and said that if he were still IDF Chief Rabbi, he would have resigned over the move.