MK Nissim Zeev (Shas) proposed a new law this week that is upsetting many in the establishment. They are seeing it as an attempted haredi takeover of the army.

Can you imagine that? Picture the headlines side by side - one headline reads something like "Haredim refuse to serve in army, fight against new law that would draft them" while the second headline would read something like "Haredim trying to take over the IDF".

Huh?

Zeev's proposal would legislate the identity of who qualifies to be appointed to the position of the IDF Chief Rabbi. According to the proposed law, the qualifications would have nothing to do with army service (not even as an additional point), but would say that the candidate must have served as a dayyan or rav of a city prior to the IDF appointment. as well, the appointment would only happen after consultation with the Chief Rabbis of Israel.

Zeev explains in his proposal that with the issue of army conversions coming before the Supreme Court, and with the army increasing its activities in this realm, the appointment of the IDF Chief Rabbi should be in line with the criteria of good governance, in consultation with the Chief Rabbis and set in law.

In order to avoid the situation where the army performs conversions using different criteria then what the haredi gedolim require, Zeev's best option is to make sure the IDF Chief Rabbi is also haredi (or at least approved by the haredim), thus ensuring similar standards.

The critics are calling this an attempted takeover, since in recent years the situation has become one in which most city rabbis and dayyanim are more aligned with the haredi parties, rather than the dati leumi party[ies]. if the law were to pass, by definition only haredi or haredi-approved rabbis would qualify.

The haredi political power has not, until now, really had much of an effect on the IDF. This would change that instantaneously. This really is a cynical move. if it included that the candidate be someone who served in the army and moved in the ranks accordingly, and was simply adding a new qualification of stature, that would be more acceptable. Anybody who qualifies, even a charedi soldier, is acceptable. To say though that the only qualified people to serve this position are those brought in from the outside is a cynical suggestion.

Of course, with the new law regarding the drafting of Haredim coming out now and possibly changing the IDF forever, it might very well be, it is not unrealistic to assume, that haredi soldiers will eventually be among the eventual candidates for the position of IDF Chief Rabbi.




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