Soldiers, hareidim

IDF: we need the hareidi men

The IDF has a shortage of thousands of soldiers and sees hareidim as excellent soldiers who can help fill the manpower gap, Brig. Gen. Gadi Agmon, Head of Planning Brigade and Manpower Administration, told the official committee established to set new parameters for enlistment to military and civilian national service.

The committee, headed by MK Yohanan Plesner of Kadima, convened for the first time Monday, for a marathon 10 hour session. It is charged with finding a replacement to the Tal Law that regualted the enlistment of hareidim until it was declared unconstitutional by the High Court.

Brig. Gen. Agmon said that at present, there are about 7,500 hareidi 18-year-olds who are eligible for enlistment. In 2011, 1,282 hareidim from the ages of 18 to 26 enlisted.

The general was followed by Sar-Shalom Jerbi, Director General of the National Service Administration. Jerbi told the committee that between 2007 and the present day, 1,806 hareidim and 2,399 minority members had volunteered for civilian national service.

Prof. Eugene Kandel, Head of the National Economic Council, said that the present situation is the result of government policy that has existed for 60 years, and that norms that have taken root over such a long period cannot be expected to change one or two years. He said that there has been improvement in the hareidi sector's participation in employment and that ways should be found to strengthen these trends and not weaken them.

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Religious soldiers: stop provoking us

Organisation that assists religious soldiers says attempts to make them uncomfortable are intentional.

The Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee hosted Major General Orna Barbivai Monday and discussed the Tal Law and the need to enlist hareidim to the army. However, an NGO that advocates for the rights of religious soldiers says that elements within the IDF are purposely provoking kippah-wearers.
According to Eliyahu Lax, Chairman of the Organization for the Religious Soldier, public promises to make army service more religious-friendly do not materialize on the ground.
Lax said that in Bahad 1, where the Officer's Training Courses are held, "they did not give cadets time for prayer, there has been women's singing with no possibility of leaving [the room] at the end of three training courses in a row, and there was the story of sending religious soldiers to clean women's restrooms although it is against the law, and more."