Jerusalem – President Shimon Peres called on the haredi community to support ultra-Orthodox soldiers during a meeting with haredi troops on Sunday.
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“I call on the heads of the haredi camp to be proud of the haredi soldiers, just as we are proud of you,” Peres told the soldiers.
There has been a string of recent attacks perpetrated by haredi men that have targeted haredi soldiers. Many haredim oppose the idea of fellow haredi men drafting into the army.
Peres grounded his speech in the teachings of the Bible, saying, “we must protect against all acts of violence – these acts are against the concept of the ten commandments.”
Peres’ call for haredi support of haredi soldiers, corresponded with another attack which took place in Jerusalem’s ultra-orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim. Police reported that two haredi men attack a uniformed soldier. Mea Shearim was the scene of a similar attack against a haredi soldier several days ago.
The president urged haredi soldiers to persevere in the face of opposition. “It is a mitzvah (religious commandment) to protect our country,” Peres said. “No one is going to do it for us.”
Though there have been tensions of late between the haredi community and the Israeli public that have been exacerbated as a result of the ultra-Orthodox Knesset parties having been left out of Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition government. Despite the turmoil, Peres reminded the nation that Israel is a unified country.
“We are all brothers, one nation, and not two,” Peres said.
In response, a representative for the haredi soldiers commended the army for its support and made it clear that it is possible for haredi soldiers to serve in the army, while continuing to live truly to their lifestyle.
“When we are on active duty, and when we return home from the army, we study torah in the proper manner, alone or in pairs, or in yeshiva,” the speaker said. “The IDF gives the necessary support network to make it possible to draft as haredi men and to be discharged as haredi men.”
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
So now the Charedi leaders should take advice from someone that never kept a Shabbos, eats nveilos utreifos etc. etc. I think my 2 year old daughter is next to chime in!
is he serious??? ”against the ten commandments….”? oh really? well the first commandment is to believe in Hashem, u apikorus! and who are u to preach about what is a mitzvah and whats not, you cheeseburger fressing hypocrite?!
Nebech, the Chareidim are being led now by violent and mindless rabbonim!
Joker peres invokes the ten commandments. He violates shabbos publicly which is one of the ten. He caused a thousand jews to die with his oslo accords and this menuval talks about ten commandments. He kisses the murderers so he can get a peace prize as jews were blown to pieces in countless suicide bombings.
President Peres at his age decided to call on chareidi community, we all know when you get old you try to get back to your roots, but he does not know how,
the easiest way is to support torah not fight it, “PRESIDENT” YOU ARE STILL GOING THE WRONG WAY.
In Kiddushin 38a it says that the manah — G-d’s subsidy for Israel to learn Torah for 40 years in the Midbar — ceased when Moshe died. After that, Jewish men had to fight in the army and live off the land. It says nothing about boycotts, harassment of religious Jewish soldiers, complaints that religious Zionists represented Amalek or at least weren’t “really Jewish,” or slanderous condemnations of those who were willing to live off the Land and fight the Canaanites. Is all of that somewhere in a midrash, perhaps? I must have missed it.
Peres is a leader through his actions.
The “Raboonim” of Meah Shearim are all talk. They are wooses. It’s almost like we have our own Afghani terrorists! Why don’t they start a kehilla there and join the Taliban. I think they would really hit it off.