Shaked Committee Told Enlistment Law Failing

The law to draft yeshivah students that was passed by the Knesset last March has been a dismal failure, according to data presented to the Shaked Committee on Monday.

The committee, headed by MK Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home), which was responsible for writing the Enlistment Law, as it is known, was presented with statistics showing that the law has had the opposite of the intended effect of increasing chareidi recruits.

Whereas the goal for chareidi enlistment into the IDF was set at 1,500, only 300 have been enlisted — meaning that the government has only reached 20 percent of its goal, Arutz Sheva reported.

In a further embarrassing revelation, Director of the National-Civilian Service Administration Sar-Shalom Jerbi noted only seven chareidim joined the police. According to Jerbi, the low figures are a result of the exemption for chareidim aged 22 and up, decided upon after the passage of the new law.

MK Rabbi Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism) told the committee “when the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is debating in these days in fear over how in the IDF there are more and more religious symbols — ‘religionization’ as they call it — what’s the surprise that those who guard the Torah and commandments abstain from being among the recruits?”

Rabbi Porush was referring to a hearing held in the latter committee on Monday concerning the subject of “religious radicalization” in the Israeli military. Some MKs were alarmed by the phenomenon seen last summer during Operation Protective Edge of numerous IDF units visiting the Kosel and other Jewish sites.

MK Moti Yogev (Jewish Home) reminded participants in the meeting that “the enemies are Hamas, Hizbullah and Iran, and not religious soldiers in the IDF.” “This discussion doesn’t need to take place in the Knesset and doesn’t need to preoccupy army officials and waste their time.”

This article appeared in print on page 6 of the November 25th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.