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Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Haredi soldier refused to remove tzitzith, commander sent him to jail for ten days

A Haredi soldier in the IDF's elite Golani unit refused to remove his wool tzitzith (four-cornered undergarment) during training and was sent to the brig for ten days by his commander (link in Hebrew).

The commander ordered the soldier to remove the tzitzith due to the heat and the danger of dehydration. The soldier, a Habad Hassid, refused  to remove the tzitzith and was instead sent to the brig for ten days.

But according to his fellow soldiers, the issue was not only that the tzitzith were wool, but rather that the commander claimed it was forbidden to wear three layers (shirt, tzitzith, undershirt) at all.

The soldier told the commander that he is sticking to his religious principles and he is willing to go to jail proudly for them. 

The soldier's comrades said that the incident was embarrassing and shows the army's problematic attitude toward the principles and values of Haredi soldiers.

The soldier's friends described it as chutzpa that a soldier is sent to jail for ten days because he wanted to wear his tzitzith.

The IDF spokesperson's office responded claimed that the facts presented were not correct, and that due to 'privacy considerations' they would not discuss the incident.

And they say they want Haredim to join the IDF? So they can make them former Haredim?

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2 Comments:

At 12:21 AM, Blogger Red Tulips said...

I find it hard to imagine that the soldier was sent to the brig simply for wearing tzitzis, because if that were the case, then none of the religious zionists would fight either. We would have heard about this sooner, if the problem was tzitzis.

 
At 6:26 AM, Blogger Shy Guy said...

The Golani Division is having technical problems. Please stand by.

In any case, the bottom line actually is having to chose between believing Kikar Shabbat or the IDF spokesperson's office. I would sit on the sidelines and wait before assuming any facts.

 

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