MK Alleges IDF Canceled Torah Dedication Ceremonies

The IDF has been accused of seeking to prevent sefer Torah dedication ceremonies on its bases, according to Arutz Sheva.

MK Moti Yogev (Jewish Home) pressed the allegation despite a denial from Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan (Jewish Home).

“I value my friend Rabbi Ben-Dahan, but I suggest he check the facts on the ground,” Yogev said.

He told of an IDF rabbi at the Tzrifin base who received a call recently from “higher echelons” ordering that the ceremony be cancelled, because “the singing and dancing disrupt military proceeding and public space in the base.

“After pleading, pressure and explanation, permission was granted,” Yogev said, but he noted four other recent cases in which ceremonies were either cancelled or scaled down.

Yogev added, however, that he is “happy to relate to [Ben-Dahan] that, after I turned to the IDF Chief of Staff with these concerns, he agreed to regulate the issue in cooperation with the IDF Rabbinate.”