Latest news with #TorahScholars
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Israel has declared war on Torah scholars': Haredi leaders call for global protest
"The State of Israel has declared war on Torah scholars. The Haredi community will launch a global battle like no other,' the leaders of the Haredi community said. The leaders of the global haredi community on Wednesday held an emergency consultation meeting at the home of leading haredi figure Rabbi Dov Landau, following the arrest of two yeshiva students for draft dodging. In the meeting, leaders discussed 'ways to respond following the arrest of the yeshiva students, with the goal of formulating a consensus reaction among all sects and communities.' 'As is known, Rabbi Landau warned last week in his speech at the Council of Yeshivas conference that if the State of Israel declares war on Torah scholars, the entire Haredi Jewish world will mobilize for a fight," the Haredi community said in a statement. "The State of Israel has declared war on Torah scholars. The Haredi community will launch a global battle like no other.' The IDF military court arrested the two Haredi brothers, Rafael and Baruch Yitzhakov, of the 'Meorot HaTorah' yeshiva in Kiryat Ye'arim, on Tuesday night and sentenced them to 17 and 13 days in detention, respectively. Liberman: If only the haredi community focused on the country's safety "Following the arrest of draft dodgers - an emergency gathering at Rabbi Lando's house to fight against conscription, while our soldiers are fighting on all fronts and risking their lives," Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Lieberman wrote on X/Twitter. "If they enlisted for the security of the state as zealously as they enlist for draft dodging, the State of Israel would be stronger and more united." This is a developing story.
Yahoo
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New haredi draft proposal by reservist NGOs gains traction on Knesset, still no clear framework
According to the proposal, all haredi men will receive draft summons and be required to serve in the IDF, although the outline does not explain why it would be limited to men. The Coalition of Service Organizations, a consortium of 18 nonprofits that is in favor of expanding the IDF's ranks, outlined its version of a framework for a haredi (ultra-Orthodox) IDF conscription bill during a Knesset conference on Tuesday. According to the proposal, all haredi men will receive draft summons and will be required to serve in the IDF. However, up to 3% of men in each graduating class will be able to receive an exemption as 'outstanding' Torah scholars, based on exams that will be open to whoever is interested. The outline did not detail why the exam would be open only to men. In addition, the proposal suggests differentiating between the current 'pool' of haredi candidates, comprised of men between the ages of 18 and 26, and haredi men who reach the age of 18. While the former category will receive an unspecified 'lenient arrangement' based on the IDF's needs, the latter will be subject to the full extent of the proposal. The rest of the draft included provisions similar to proposals that arose in meetings in the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee over the past year, such as financial sanctions on people who evade the draft without a proper exemption; retroactive funding for yeshivas based on the number of their conscripts; and opening units and frameworks within the army adapted to the haredi lifestyle. A full version of the bill proposal will be published as early as Wednesday, a member of one of the consortium said. The Coalition of Service Organizations includes a series of organizations without political affiliations, such as the IDF Reservists' Wives Forum, but also syndicates affiliated with specific parties or groups, such as the Likud and the Forum of National-Religious Reservists. According to a statement by this coalition of nonprofits, the framework was 'developed over recent months in collaboration with experts in law, national security, and civil society,' and offered a 'responsible, unifying, and practical solution to the issue of military conscription in Israel.' It added that the proposal was submitted on Tuesday to members of the Knesset from both the coalition and the opposition 'to promote it as broad legislation and to build support for it across all factions.' Government MKs propose new "Haredi draft" bill The conference was hosted by three MKs from the coalition: Dan Illouz (Likud), Moshe Passal (Likud), and Yitzhak Kreuzer (Otzma Yehudit). It is estimated that five other MKs from the coalition participated as well, as did eight or so from the opposition. The coalition of nonprofits criticized the recent decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remove the defense panel's chairperson, MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud), from his position over Edelstein's fallout with the haredi parties in negotiations over the bill last week. 'Regardless of who chairs the committee, only an effective conscription law will succeed in passing in the Knesset,' the coalition said. Edelstein attended the Coalition of Service Organizations' conference in the Knesset and promised that the only law that would pass would be one that would lead to widespread conscription. He had met with representatives from this coalition numerous times in recent weeks. Solve the daily Crossword
