Israel: Rabbi rejects draft for religious Jews, threatens to leave the country 

The former Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel reiterated on Wednesday his rejection of the draft for religious Jews into the Israeli army, threatening to travel abroad if the government does not allow them to learn the Torah. “We did not come to Israel to be secular,” said Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef.

Israel’s i24 website quoted the rabbi as telling yeshiva students, “If you receive a military enlistment order, tear it up, throw it in the toilet, and flush. Don’t consider it, don’t be afraid. If they don’t allow us to learn the Torah, we will travel abroad. This is a very difficult time for the yeshiva world. You have to be strong and not go to the army.”

Sephardic Jews trace their origins back to the Jews of Iberia (Spain and Portugal) who were expelled in the 15th century by the Christian King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. They sought and were granted refuge in the Muslim world across North Africa, Asia Minor and the Levant.

The Haredi (religious) Jews oppose military service, despite the Supreme Court’s decision last June to impose conscription on them like other Israelis. About two weeks ago, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that he would allow 7,000 draft orders to be sent to religious Jews, with the orders to be sent gradually.

Parties in the government coalition are demanding the enactment of a law that would allow about 60,000 religious Jews not to serve in the military annually. Opposition groups call it the “evasion law”.

The Israeli army is suffering from a troop shortage and almost daily losses in the genocidal war it has been waging with US support against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. This war has killed and wounded more than 150,000 Palestinians, most of them children and women. In addition, more than 11,000 are missing, presumed dead, under the rubble of their homes and other civilian infrastructure destroyed by Israel.

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