Israel’s chief rabbi calls for review of punishment of religious soldiers
Israel’s Chief Rabbi Kalman Meir Ber appealed to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Israel Defense Forces Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir to review the punishment of religious servicemen from the Rotem Battalion of the Givati Brigade. The soldiers refused to ride in a Namer armored personnel carrier with a female paramedic during an operational mission in the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Punishment of soldiers
The servicemen said that being together in the armored personnel carrier contravened Jewish religious law and arrangements regarding the service conditions of religious soldiers. According to reports published at the beginning of the week, following disciplinary proceedings, at least seven of them were sent to military prison.
In a letter to Katz and Zamir, Ber noted that the case had gained broad public significance and could have consequences not only for the soldiers directly punished. In his view, the command should take into account not only formal rules but also the broader consequences of disciplinary decisions concerning religious soldiers.
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Call to change directives
The chief rabbi questioned whether the rights of servicemen whose religious beliefs restrict their participation in certain situations of joint service by men and women are sufficiently considered. He compared the issue with the existing conditions in the Israel Defense Forces for observing kashrut and Shabbat.
Ber called for the relevant directives to be changed so that they correspond to the religious way of life of observant soldiers. He also expressed concern about the possible impact of the punishment on graduates of hesder yeshivas and other religious Israelis who voluntarily choose demanding military service. The rabbi asked the military leadership not to put soldiers before a choice between service and adherence to religious beliefs.
