Jerusalem – Ultra-Orthodox Soldier Says Serving IDF Service With Secular Soldiers Caused Mental Breakdown

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    AP FILE PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONJerusalem – A 22 year-old ultra-Orthodox man has filed a disability benefits claim with the Defense Ministry alleging that his “differences” with fellow IDF soldiers while serving led to a mental breakdown.

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    ISRAEL HAYOM (http://bit.ly/10BNSTv) is reporting that the man’s request is pending, but in the meantime he has been granted temporary approval for subsidized medical benefits.

    According to the man’s claim, he knew no seculars before serving, and that the vast differences between he and seculars within the unit to which he was assigned caused him great suffering, ultimately leading to depression and thoughts of suicide.


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    34 Comments
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    bubii
    bubii
    10 years ago

    Thats what happenes when their rebbeleh isolate them from the real world,they cannot cope with everyday lfe,and whos fault is that the zionists or their own rebbes,as the saying goes they the hassdim are their own worst enemy.

    AlterHacker
    AlterHacker
    10 years ago

    We should force all those who enter the army to become Torah & Mitzvah observant so we would not have these problems.

    PrettyBoyFloyd
    PrettyBoyFloyd
    10 years ago

    What a sicko. Go to Nachal Chareidi where there are only religious soldiers and no females. What a crock. Yankel litzman and Frankfurter put him up to this.

    10 years ago

    I bet Charedim will blame this on the IDF, instead of their own insularity and isolation. Even in the ghettos, Jews knew how to del with “secular” people.

    BaruchBendit
    BaruchBendit
    10 years ago

    So what?

    More than 2,000 Haredim serve / have served in Haredi IDF and IAF units, and one complains.

    Not a bad percentage for success.

    NeveAliza
    NeveAliza
    10 years ago

    And the moral of the story is?

    jack-l
    jack-l
    10 years ago

    How is this a surprise. After all he has spent his whole life in a very insular community. Now, he is being forced into the unknown . The equivalent of me going to mars. As a consequence, others like him might discover that they have the same problem if they have to integrate into the work force or participate in day to day activities, common to most observant jews.
    Israel , the start up nation , has discovered a new illness.
    What is surprising ….. this malady took so long to appear.

    SandmanNY
    SandmanNY
    10 years ago

    He says he didn’t know any secular Jews before this? That’s a problem. How can you practice being “ohev ha’briyos” if you don’t know any. But beyond that, this story stinks of set up. I’ve been trained in PR and chances are high that this is a manipulative story.

    I_Am_Me
    I_Am_Me
    10 years ago

    To #1 you’re 100% right, we should do that! This is a Jewish country & therefore we should be fighting arm & arm with Torah by our side!

    To #2 I say, I think it’s more of he chose not to just as he chose to complain of a mental breakdown. I don’t know him, so I can’t say he’s faking it, but why shouldn’t he? In fact, if I were like him & his teachers I would tell every ultra charedi to do that! Come on doesn’t that make sense? The first bunch is sent in, have a mental breakdown, are taken out of the service & on govt income again & the rest of the ultra charedim are safe. After all, why would the govt want to hurt their citizens especially when they end up on govt assistance once again, it defeats the purpose!

    To #3 & #5 you can never be 100% free of the secular world, you either are related to someone or know someone who is or was secular

    BarryLS1
    BarryLS1
    10 years ago

    That’s a good one. How long did it take him to think of that? He probably needed a Shrink along time ago.

    Reb Yid
    Reb Yid
    10 years ago

    Maybe this is the answer. all the chareidim should be drafted and then go out on disability. Works for a lot of american unionized employees all the time.

    10 years ago

    Troubled minds are not always created by the surroundings and the surroundings do not always respond to troubled minds. I guess the lesson is that many children are probably not well enough to serve in the corps overall and if the culture is shocking, you need Torah to help you sort out the trust from the fraud.

    This will likely be a good learning experience for the young man and I hope he finds Torah as opposed to neglect in his future.

    10 years ago

    I smell a CON ARTIST!

    Geulah
    Geulah
    10 years ago

    I believe a descendant of Gen. Patton would like to smack this descendant of disability upside his head. What a crock.

    10 years ago

    how ca a 22 year old man living in ey not be embarrassed to say he never met a non frum jew?

    MarkTwain2
    MarkTwain2
    10 years ago

    Waiting for Rabbi Feldmans comment.

    Sociologist
    Sociologist
    10 years ago

    Weak individual.

    ExpatriateOwl
    ExpatriateOwl
    10 years ago

    What about all of those secular Jews who never met a religious one? What kind of mental breakdowns must they be having from the culture shock?

    10 years ago

    Some of you (perhaps all of you), never served one day in the military of any country. Yet, you are quick to condemn those Yidden who are Ultra Orthodox, and who choose to join the IDF, in defense of EY. I know what it is to have to endure anti-semitism, while in uniform, and the stress that it causes. Therefore, shame on you, who seem to imply that this gentleman’s claim is bogus! Incidentally, regarding the reference to General Patton, he was severely reprimanded for slapping a soldier, who was suffering from PTSD. Patton was lucky he wasn’t sent back home, after that incident. Incidentally, although Patton was a brilliant military strategist, he had no sympathy or empathy for many of the Holocaust survivors, as he couldn’t identify with their suffering (based on some of his published remarks).

    10 years ago

    I don’t know-my son is in the Hesder program, was placed in a frum unit, was exposed to non-frum people, didn’t love that, but he managed. Although I am modern orthodox, I do sympathize with the hareidi young man, but he is only one of many, and he probably has other problems (not saying that with any disrespect) that contributed to his reacting the way he did. I feel badly that someone who did the right thing was affected like this.
    In general I think the hareidim are putting one over on the people of Israel. My husband has the best idea-have the Rosh Yeshivas move their Yeshivas to areas that need protection-Sderot, various checkpoints, Judea, Samaria, etc. Let the boys learn in those areas. If the learning alone is really protecting the state of Israel, then there should be no more problems. But have them learn where the learning (protection) is needed the most.

    10 years ago

    It is total garbage that a fool from a “Frum” community can not speak and deal with men and women from another community. This speaks of pessimism and damned insufferable hope on the hands of the “frum” soul. I will not tolerate a jewish interest that has no interest in his fellow jews. That is paganism and we do not do that in Israel. Grow the FFFFFFF up.

    10 years ago

    To #23 - You should clean your phraseology up; if you want to use language which truck drivers use, or foul language which patrons in a bar, that perhaps you should associate with them, or move to a different site.

    Butterfly
    Butterfly
    10 years ago

    It could have happened anywhere!! He cannot live in a cocoon all his life!! Welcome to the REAL world!!

    my4amos
    my4amos
    10 years ago

    “In case you don’t know, authentic means taking responsibility for your observance, not taking from the country so you can observe.”

    No, I didn’t know that that was the meaning of the word “authentic.” As a matter of fact, I am fairly sure it is not.