OPINION

Some Israeli Yeshivot
Have Tried To Heal The Rifts

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.$1101100

cent of the company grade officers in
front-line units are religiously observant.
These religious young men, tragically,
constitute a high proportion of the
"The book and the
casualties resulting from Syria's Hafez el-
Assad's proxy war against Israel in
sword came down from southern Lebanon.
Recently, the chief of staff of the
heaven intertwined."
IDF, General Amnon Lipkin Shahak,
— Leviticus Rabba 35. met with some of the young soldiers in
the elite Golani Brigade. He asked
about five of them where they were
he threat of fratricidal hatred
from, and they all turned out to be stu-
and polarization within
dents in Hesder yeshivot. In exaspera-
Israeli society is greater than
tion, he finally asked, "Isn't there any-
any external menace.
body here from a kibbutz?" One
Among these conflicts are those
young
man raised his hand and
between political right and left,
An Is raeli
European and Eastern Jews, and soldier takes said that he was, indeed, from a
time to pray. kibbutz. He was a student of
s rich and poor.
Yeshivat HaKibbutz HaDati, the
But the greatest chasm of all
yeshiva of the religious kibbutz
is that which exists between the
movement.
observant and the secular.
By earning the esteem of their fellow
One of the most sensitive sources of
soldiers,
officers, and the people of
friction is the question of military ser-
vice. The Hesder yeshiva movement was Israel with their strong patriotism, the
Hesder students have helped to bridge
established four decades ago to address
the gap of malice between observant
this problem. In these 24 yeshivot, the
and secular Jews in Israel.
students agree to serve several years in
One of the most outstanding of the
the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in
Hesder
yeshivot is Yeshivat Sha'alvim,
addition to their yeshiva studies. Many
which
is
being honored in our commu-
of these yeshiva students serve in elite
nity
this
weekend.
This yeshiva was
battle units, such as the paratroops,
established on Kibbutz Sha'alvim in
armor, and the Givati and Golani
1961. Its current leader, the rosh
brigades.
hayeshiva, is Rabbi Avraham Avidan,
In addition, there are six mechinot
who is also a lieutenant colonel
kedem tsvai, religious military schools,
(Reserve) in the IDF, after 22 years of
to prepare observant young men for
active
military service. The goals of the
officer candidate school and career mili-
yeshiva
are superb scholarship, piety,
tary service.
and love of the land and the people of
As a result of these yeshivot, 40 per-
Israel. This institution endeavors to
Dr. Herschel L. Schlussel is a Detroit
supporter of the Hesder yeshiva move-
RIFTS on page 36
ment.

HERSCHEL L. SCHLUSSEL
Special to The Jewish News

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