Jerusalem – Israeli Defense Minister Bans Chief Rabbi From IDF Events For Blasting Joint Service

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    Jerusalem – Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said he has banned Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef from IDF ceremonies after he expressed support for Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu’s call to fire the IDF chief of staff for advancing the integration of women into all branches of the army.

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    Eliyahu made his comments on Wednesday, following a ruling by prominent national-religious leader Rabbi Shlomo Aviner stating that yeshiva students should not enlist until they are able to guarantee they are not placed in a mixed gender unit.

    Yosef called Eliyahu on Thursday to praise him for his “courageous stance in fulfilling the Chief Rabbinate’s instructions on enlisting girls” and said that Eliyahu’s father the late chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu “is happy with you in Heaven, don’t be afraid and don’t be scared.”

    The Chief Rabbinate has firmly opposed the enlistment of women to the army from its inception.

    Speaking in Ashdod on Saturday, Liberman insisted that women have played a part in Israel’s defense and security since the establishment of the state, and denounced the comments of all three rabbis.

    “What I heard last week, it is unreasonable and unacceptable that the chief rabbi of Safed attacks the chief of staff and demands that he be fired, that one of the most rabbis in that section of the national-religious community like Rabbi Aviner calls not to serve and not to enlist to the IDF, if there are not separate units, when the chief rabbi supports the chief rabbi of Safed,” said Liberman.

    “I have given an instruction to the IDF. The chief rabbi, Rabbi Aviner, and Rabbi Eliyahu will not take part in IDF events,” he said.

    Both Aviner and Eliyahu are two of the most conservative national-religious leaders fighting against the IDF’s new joint service protocol which was published in 2016 and encourages the integration of women into all branches of the armed services.

    Despite this goal, soldiers are still nevertheless able to ensure that they do not serve with women in combat units.

    Liberman went to Ashdod primarily to give support to the non-religious sector, which is battling with what activists describe as a crack-down on businesses opening on Shabbat in the city over the last two weeks.

    Businesses in commercial centers have started receiving warning notices of fines for opening on Shabbat, which activists say is a new development, while even restaurants, which are supposed to be allowed to open under the status quo, have received such warning notices.

    Liberman described this development as “a direct result” of the mini-markets law,” legislation that was passed earlier this month allowing the interior minister to reject any municipal bylaw allowing businesses to open on Shabbat approved by municipal councils.

    And he rejected some arguments that the law will not have a significant effect since it does not make any provisions for increased enforcement against existing laws banning commercial activity.

    “Whoever says this is mistaken and is deceiving others. The mini-markets bill has unfortunately far reaching results and has been received by some municipal authorities as an order to go wild.”

    He said that the law and the tensions it has brought about were unnecessary, describing the atmosphere in the city as “dirty,” and expressing the hope that the actions of the Ashdod municipality in increasing enforcement does not spread, saying it would divide Israeli society.

    On Saturday evening, more than 2,000 protestors attended a demonstration against the actions of the municipal authority and against Ashdod Mayor Yehiel Lasri who they blame for capitulating to the demands of the Haredi political parties in the city.

    According to activists, even though the Haredi population of the city is only 20 percent, some 95% of Haredi residents voted in the last municipal elections, compared with just 51% in the non-Haredi population.

    This has given the Haredi parties 10 of the 27 seats on the municipal council, and this outsize political influence, has, say activists, swayed Lasri to concede to Haredi demands during this election year.


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    5 Comments
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    Normandavid1
    Normandavid1
    6 years ago

    What do u expect from a government that’s against anything that has to do with being Jewish?

    StevenWright
    Member
    StevenWright
    6 years ago

    Good for him. He no longer needs an excuse for walking out of the mixed events.
    Spasiba Tovarish Liberman…

    6 years ago

    This Lieberman is a breath of fresh air. He just makes it ezier to see the real colors of filthy Zionism. Hes banning a chief Rabbi a big Zionist, all because Yosef still has a conscience and knows that integrating women in the army is one of the worst sins. Thanku Lieberman for putting it so clear to Jews who are not so strong in seeing filthy Zionism for what it is.

    elyeh
    Noble Member
    elyeh
    6 years ago

    What else can Liberman do when these Rabbonim “spit in the face” of the IDF and all the military who put their lives at risk for protecting the all the people, even those who reject them ?

    triumphinwhitehouse
    triumphinwhitehouse
    6 years ago

    Loving it. Secular Zionism collapsing before our eyes