Israel's Chief Rabbis Urge Religious Youth to Refrain from Army Conscription

Israel's chief rabbis held a meeting on Tuesday during which they called on religious youth to refrain from complying with conscription orders or going to the relevant offices.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted Lithuanian Rabbi Dov Landau as saying, attacking Defense Minister Yoav Galant's decision to recruit Haredi youth, that a state that recruits yeshiva students has no right to exist, adding, "In times of war, they want to take away the rights of Torah students - this is complete suicide."

"When there is no order and the army is at war against us, what is the point of standing up? For what? This government is against us in everything," Lando added.

At the end of the meeting, Landau asked Rabbi Chaim Aharon Kaufman, chairman of the yeshiva committee, to convey his opinion to the Sephardic and Hasidic rabbis, so that there would be a unified position on the issue.

The head of the Slabodka yeshiva and one of the most prominent rabbis in the Lithuanian Haredi movement, Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, also ordered yeshiva students to speak with ultra-Orthodox youth who do not study in yeshivas and asked them not to obey any orders about conscription.

According to a report on the Behadrei Haredi website, a consultation was held Tuesday evening at the rabbi's home, and according to those present at the talks, Hirsch demanded that no one go to any of the recruitment offices. He also added that representatives should be sent to all yeshivas and warn young people not to go and to absolutely refuse to be drafted.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant approved on Tuesday the army's plan to begin recruiting ultra-Orthodox Jews starting in August, due to what he described as "operational needs," in a move likely to further strain relations within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted Galant as saying that the army agreed with the Haredim to increase the number of army recruits by 5% annually, to reach 50% within 5 years.

The Haredim make up about 13 percent of Israel's population of about 9.7 million people, and they usually do not serve in the army, claiming to devote their lives to studying the Torah.

Weeks ago, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that Haredi men must be conscripted, after their lives were limited to studying Judaism in religious institutes.