IDF promised: we'll stop harassing hareidim • R' Aharon Leib Steinman: show up, don't sign

Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman and Finance Committee chairman MK Moshe Gafni met today (Tuesday) at Litzman's Health Ministry in Tel Aviv with the Main Personnel Directorate, due to repeated complaints about the humiliating and problematic tests conducted for yeshiva students who showed up in recruit centers.

Immediately after the cancellation of the Tal Law in August, Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of Degel HaTorah instructed yeshiva students that those who are called to report to the mobilization of the IDF - shall appear, but should not sign any documents submitted.

But since then, there are increased complaints of abuse and harassment of yeshiva students who show up. During Shalosh Seudos at Vizhnitz the Rebbe told his hassidim: "These days, we are commanded to turn away from evil and do good, "Turn away from evil": there is a raging fire in the form of summoning bochurim to recruitment centers, I heard terrible things about what happens there." Because of those "terrible things", which he did not elaborate, the Rebbe added and instructed: "I order all the Vizhnitz chassidim, and ask all who are fearful of Hashem not to show up there, G-d forbid. If they come to take one with iron chains, they should say that the Vizhnitzer Rebbe does not allow to go to a place like and take, and they should take me to jail!".

Yated Ne'eman also reported on Sunday morning on the front page about the injustices in the recruitment centers. According to the title, given the warnings received from Roshei Yeshivos, and the opinion of Gedolei Torah, it was decided in light of the evidence of repeated severe harassment and problems at recruitment offices, to examine the ways of how to work with military leaders, including examining the possibility to order yeshivah students not to show up at the centers.

During the meeting held today, heads of Main Personnel Directorate promised to completely avoid performing unnecessary and offensive tests. Head of Main Personal, General Orna Barbibay even undertook to send a letter of clear guidance to factors in which they will be ordered to avoid performing tests for yeshiva students.

Gafni and Litzman explained the severity of the matter to representatives of the IDF, particularly the army's attempt to seize the 'twilight' of the Tal Law - which has expired and an alternative law has not yet been enacted. They made it clear that, in any such attempt the hareidi public would not hesitate to strongly resist. "This has serious implications, we will not be deterred from resisting, it is better to solve the issue peacefully," said the hareidi MKs.

The pair of MK's also demanded a written commitment, and would not settle for oral summaries. Indeed, IDF officials pledged to send a written summary.

Following the agreements reached, Hagaon R' Aharon Leib Steinman shlita instructed to continue to adhere to the decision of the Council of Torah Sages: to show up at the centers, but not to sign. This issue is also in coordination with the Rebbe of Vizhnitz, to whom the Deputy Minister of Health came to update of the summary obtained.

Bochur was delayed seven hours at recruiting office
Our reporter Shlomo Greenberg reports that a yeshiva student studying at Yeshivat Beit Shmuel In Mattersdorf, Jerusalem who lives in the south, was detained last week for over seven hours at the recruitment center in Beer Sheva, following a series of negligence, and only at the end of the day he was allowed to return to the yeshiva.

Despite the painful affair, the Rosh Yeshiva Hagaon R' Yitzchak Ehrenfeld, instructed that all students who receive the first order, have the duty to report and not to cause provocation, as long as it has not been decided otherwise by the Council of Torah Sages.

At the Beis Matisyahu yeshiva too, an unequivocal decision to students, that those who will not go to the recruiting office to sign according to R' Aharon Leib Steinman's instruction, will be expelled from the yeshiva.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!