Jerusalem – Shas Leader Rabbi Cohen Instructs Yeshiva Students Not To Enlist In Army

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    FILE - Rabbi Shalom Cohen of the Shas Party Council of Torah Sages and head of the Porat Yosef yeshiva speaks during the weekly lesson at the home of spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-orthodox Shas party Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, in Jerusalem, July 13, 2013. Photo By Yonatan Sindel/Flash90Jerusalem – Shas’ controversial spiritual leader Rabbi Shalom Cohen signed a letter earlier this month strongly warning haredi yeshiva students against joining the army and denouncing haredi figures who promote IDF enlistment by saying they would have no place in the world to come.

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    Cohen’s letter comes against a background of increasing activity against IDF enlistment by extremists in the haredi community, mostly not associated with the Sephardi community that Shas and Cohen represent.

    Published by Kol Hai Radio on Wednesday night, Cohen’s letter, originally signed on July 20, attributed the security of the Jewish people to the merit earned by those who study Torah and said that no yeshiva student, married or single, should enlist.

    “God forbid, that an unmarried yeshiva student at any level of learning, or a married student, even if he has problems with his income, should leave the holy guard post [yeshiva], and should not be enticed by any ‘haredi’ or non-haredi elements promising a future with money and honor if he joins some [IDF] course,” Cohen wrote.

    And the rabbi spoke in even harsher terms about people in the haredi community who are actively promoting IDF enlistment.

    “All those who entice and incite cause the masses to sin,” he said in reference to such people, and quoted the famous medieval rabbinic authority Maimonides who ruled that someone who causes others to sin loses their place in the afterlife.

    A Shas official played down the importance of Cohen’s letter, saying that this was a natural position for Cohen as a conservative-minded rabbi who has for most of his life served as the head of the flag-ship Sephardi haredi yeshiva Porat Yosef in Jerusalem, and said that this was not a widely held position with the haredi Sephardi community.

    In light of the ongoing campaign by extremists from the Ashkenazi haredi community against IDF enlistment, the Knesset sub-committee for IDF human resources convened Thursday morning to evaluate the action being taken against this phenomenon.

    The campaign takes the form of posters, pamphlets and booklets bearing cartoons and other images which strongly incite against haredi officials involved in promoting IDF service, routinely depicting such people as pigs and malign elements attempting to corrupt haredi youth.

    Earlier this month, a booklet containing the names, photos and contact details of senior figures in the haredi community who promote enlistment was published by extremists as part of their efforts to harass and delegitimize haredi enlistment and those who are advancing it.

    The booklet claimed that “hundreds of haredi recruiters lie in wait for the youth” who are described as “professional missionaries with a haredi appearance” and who “sold their souls to Satan for a little bit of money.”

    Several police investigations into this and similar incidents have been opened although no-one has yet been charged. A police representative said during the Knesset’s hearing that the investigation was ongoing and said he would shortly be requesting an update in order to issue indictments to those responsible.


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    8 Comments
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    yonasonw
    Member
    yonasonw
    8 years ago

    More of the “if it ain’t broken don’t fix it” shtuss – don’t get an education – and let everyone else do the hishtadlus necessary to defend the country.

    ModernLakewoodGuy
    ModernLakewoodGuy
    8 years ago

    “saying they would have no place in the world to come.”

    I would be very weary of anyone who claims to know information they could not possibly know. This man is a fraud.

    8 years ago

    Slick Slick Slick.

    Where is the lip lip lip.

    Torah is not a bank note for the rich.

    This is antisocial and heretical.

    Jews must serve G-d and that means serving in the IDF.

    maxedout
    maxedout
    8 years ago

    Rabbi Cohen, allow me to quote what you said…
    ” the security of the Jewish people to the merit earned by those who study Torah and said that no yeshiva student, married or single, should enlist.”

    So what you are saying is that EVERY single boy is diligently learning a full day every day and not just wandering the streets and rioting every time some jackass like you tells them to riot. I have no issues with those sincerely learning – we need them just as much as we need the IDF, however we all know that a greater percentage are a bunch of leidig geiers who just wander the streets just looking for bearded fools like you to stir up trouble. It would be so much nicer if the likes of you would just shut up and stay out of politics. You should be happy that they havent arrested you as you are commiting treason against the country that gives you everything – hospitals, buses, water, sewers, etc.

    8 years ago

    They love blamming and using the army as an excuse for their anti work narishkatin. Assuming the army is trief (which I am not so convinced) they can still work around the army. But they won’t
    Do you guys know that under the shrieklicha Lapid law (current law) those who were over 24 and married when the law was passed can work with no army service. So why are the masses not working.
    And the charedim are in charge of the government now. If they really wanted they can work out this whole army/ work thing. You know why they aren’t. Because the charedim love this army thing. Its an excuse to keep the masses in yeshiva. Abi nisht arbitin. Lets adopt kollelim but not adopt jobs programs.

    PaulinSaudi
    PaulinSaudi
    8 years ago

    Has he instructed his students not to stab people in the streets? Or perhaps he is taking a neutral stance on this.