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In Landmark Deal, Chabad Men to Enlist in IDF

Israel Hayom

Leaders of the Chabad-Lubavitch ultra-Orthodox movement have brokered an agreement with the Israel Defense Forces to draft male members for full military service. The agreement is to be signed soon, both sides report. The move marks the first time an entire Orthodox Hasidic movement will commit itself to sending its members to the Israeli military.

The deal is unique and significant as most Israeli ultra-Orthodox men do not perform military service, preferring instead to focus on their religious studies. The issue is a serious cause of tension between the religious and secular sectors of Israeli society.

The agreement between Chabad and the IDF, which comes after several months of negotiations, allows Chabad yeshiva students to leave the country for one year at the completion of their religious studies. After their year abroad, the students will be required to return to Israel for regular military service of three years.

The agreement stipulates that the men will be drafted and will have to serve a full three-year term even if they were married before beginning their service.

The Chabad-Lubavitch movement was founded in Russia in the late 18th century and established its headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, in the 1940s. Under its seventh rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, it became a powerful force within modern Judaism. Schneerson died in 1994 and no successor has since been named.

Israeli Chabad students traditionally traveled to New York to spend up to a year with the community upon the completion of their yeshiva studies, when secular high-school graduates usually begin their compulsory military service. The IDF allows certain exemptions for those who study Torah as their main occupation, but after Schneerson died, the IDF notified Chabad that its students were not covered by the exemption and no longer had permission to leave the country.

Chabad leaders believe the year in New York is an important aspect of a yeshiva student’s education, and did not accept the IDF’s change. Many Chabad students continued to travel to New York and were labeled deserters. The new agreement with the IDF will allow Chabad students to continue their traditional year abroad if they agree to return at the end for full military service.

Chabad leaders have downplayed the importance of the new pact. “The agreement does not stipulate that if you are religious, you don’t have to do IDF service,” one Chabad leader said. “The exemption is only while you are in yeshiva. Most members of Chabad do not attend kolels [religious study institutions for married men] through their 30s and 40s — they only study in their 20s, and they generally have jobs and join the IDF.”

Chabad is concerned about fallout from other ultra-Orthodox groups because of the agreement, said a source with knowledge of the agreement. The IDF, on the other hand, is satisfied, considering the agreement a significant achievement after years of trying to integrate ultra-Orthodox communities into greater Israeli society, and is looking forward to the official support of some of Israel’s most highly respected rabbis and Haredi community leaders. “This sets a precedent in the Haredi world,” the source said of the agreement. “For the first time, rabbis will support an agreement that will significantly increase the numbers in the IDF’s ranks.”

An official statement from the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit also downplayed the agreement’s significance. “IDF representatives constantly meet with relevant people in efforts to increase the numbers of those who are drafted. There is nothing new in the report,” the statement said.

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24 Comments

  • Wonderful News

    I was on Shlichus with three Israeli bochrim. All three returned to Israel after Shlichus and served in the IDF in various capacities (i.e. Chaplains, Kosher Mashgiachs, etc).

    As one explained to me there are literally thousands of Jews right here on my base that rarely, if ever, put on Tefilin, had a proper Shabbos, learnt about Torah and Mitzvos, etc. Why run off to do Mivtzoyim when you can do it right here. Further, there is no greater Mitzvah then actually defending the Holy Land of Israel.

  • Any Details?

    It’s about time. Does the agreement cover fighting on Shabbat?

  • There are clear dierectves

    I sincerely doubt the veracity of this anonymous Hayom report. The Lubavitcher Rebbe Rashab wrote: “The main point: The leaders of this project are totally hostile to G-d and His Torah. Their desire and interest is to cast off the yoke of Torah and Mitzvos, substituting nationalism for Judaism. Recently one of their leaders circulated a statement publicly blaspheming Judaism and boldly stating that a Jew is not necessarily someone who observes the Torah and mitzvos, etc. They state that many mitzvos of the Torah are-may their mouth be shut–a disgrace to the Jewish people. They plan to instill these ideas in the young by controlling the school system. Their purpose is to inculcate them with negative attitudes toward G-d given Torah and mitzvos and substitute the banner of nationalism as their guiding force… The Zionists true desire is to sever the hearts of the Jewish people from the Torah and mitzvos, G-d forbid, and to debase in their eyes whatever is regarded as holy by our nation.”

  • what?????????????

    how could a few ‘leaders’ have the audacity to decide something like this for all Lubavitchers???
    And, what in the world are they thinking sending bochurim into mixed gender groups in the army????

  • kfir97

    thats funny because when i volunteered to serve in the idf not only was i not supported morally my “mashpiim” tried to discourage me by saying thats not the job of a bochur of the rebbe even though i was already out of the system

  • Shliach

    Another insane decision on the part of Chabad-Lubavitch. They will end up just like the rest of the israeli society. The reason they can continue to make such foolish assinine decisions is because thats what they have become. Chabad used to stand for chochmah, binah & daas, now it stands for chelm, b.s., & dummies. Like their is someone who can sign such a stupid document. I am a shliach & absolutley NO ONE can sign anything FOR me, except ME. I hope the fools & idiots stay in israel. And I hope the fools & idiots who continue to do these things, who are not there also go there. Good bye & good ridences.

  • mom in ch

    I think its great!!!!! our boys study torah and will now have the honor of gaurding our holy land and our bothers and sisters who feel closely connected to the land and torah and mitzvos and shlicus work as well .bh they wont waste there time here in a non jewish land here much is needed there and i think its time to focus on coming home!! may hashem stay with us and bless us !!!

  • Milhouse

    #3, what are you on about? What has the Rebbe’s opposition to zionism got to do with serving in the army and doing the mitzvah of protecting Jewish lives? Once someone is no longer in full-time learning, they are subject to the same conscription as all Israelis, and this “agreement” doesn’t change that in *any way*. See Shturem for how this article distorts the truth.

  • quetions

    what was the Rebbe’s view on such a thing?
    what would happen if they wd ask to evacuate jews from their homes ch v sh?

  • quetions

    what was the Rebbe’s view on such a thing?
    what would happen if they wd ask to evacuate jews from their homes ch v sh?

  • golani 55

    att #5 being in a mixed gender unit in the IDF is more tznius then going to empire kosher..

  • GEVALT

    This further shown how Chabad is becoming a modern movement, not much different from the so called modern orthodox, but with a beard (not all the time) and a hat.

  • golani 55

    att#14 iam sorry let me get this right ! if you go to israel and protect the same land that our for fathers were buried and dreamed about and everyyear we say lshanah habah b yerushalyem .. oh and we care about the jews who live there , and that they should be protected from the wolfs that surround them your modern…… are you nuts do you realize what words are in your tefilos everyday it doesnt seem like you do .. whats an example of real frumkite kingston ave no beards no care about anything and living on christen soil with no brachas here seriously ….its amazing to go to the army and be frum and do chitas and bmikarev our brothers … or is it better if your in la and doing it hmmmmmmm something wrong with that picture….and if its in la your not modern.. the world has changed my friend open your eyes…. what a frum yid is, will never change and israel will always be the holiest place on earth to hashem.

  • LochInKop

    we were tought when doing mivtzoim we must remain “above the world” by being firmly mekushar to the rebbe as fitting for a bocher in tomchei temimin and only then are we able to go put tefilin on poeple in Vages/Ocean Drive/Port Authority vicinity. We were not taught to go hitchhiking to south america and kosherize it by doing mivtzoim along the way. If your dressed as an IDF soldier, the army has full control of your mind and soul and you are nothing but their pawn. You are in no position to be mashpia on your surroundings.

    Next, this article makes it sound as Lubavitchers are a football team. Like the CEO Gutnick is about to sighn a deal trading lubavitchers for Litvaks. It would make more scene for someone to claim he signed a deal with the army to draft niturei karta guys so that they could cause trouble

  • to #12

    Two wrongs don’t make a right.
    Who are you kidding?
    I personally know people who have gone down in Yiddishkeit because of the army environment.
    I have non-religious female friends in Israel who insisted that they would not sleep overnight on army bases and instead became ‘jobniks’ and travelled over an hour to go home every night.
    We daven that Hashem watch over every Chayal/et and bring them home safely.
    The question here is if the army environment is appropriate for a Lubavitcher bochur and in most cases IT SIMPLY IS NOT!!!

  • to # 17

    I’M PRETTY SURE THAT #12 WAS BEING SARCASTIC…..WOW SOME PEOPLE REALLY NEED TO RELAX…ITS NOT LIKE SOMEONES GONNA COME TO YOUR HOUSE, PUT A GUN TO YOUR HEAD AND FORCE YOU TO GO PROTECT YOUR OWN PEOPLE/LAND C”V

  • golani 55

    Why would they want to do that.when they could live here and ignore israel all together… Let’s just pretent there’s total peace overthere!!! Hahahahaaha its just reachinng to close to home !! Its nothing that there parents everhad to consider while being here in ny. In the safe zone of kingston ave!!

  • Aug. 06

    To Kfir 97, You should not be saying Kavod when you are talking to your Grandfather

  • Milhouse

    #7 and #14, you’d be right if this story were true, but it’s NOT. #8, the Rebbe’s view is clear: a bochur’s place is in yeshivah. Only once someone has left full-time learning is he subject to army service.

  • Kol HaKavod

    Kol Hakavod to every brave boy who serves and protects Jewish life. It is possible to be frum in the army. How much more so if there is a huge influx of frum boys into the IDF – change the ratios so that the army is everything it CAN be in protecting Israel’s borders and citizens. Make this a good thing – the more frum boys in the army, the more frum the army will become! How wonderful! And fyi, there are plenty of frum boys in the IDF, and it doesn’t have to be “mixed gender”, and they make some of the best soldiers because they are dedicated to protecting Jewish lives and Jewish land. As someone stated, there’s probably more mixing in Empire Kosher than there is an army base/unit.

  • chayalei chabad! kavod!!!

    If anyone feels that they are being forced to join the army and that the army environment is bad for them they can always join 97 which is a religious unit with no girls involved at all and extremely high standards of kashrus and everyone there keeps shabbat. If you would want to join another unit (for example golani 13) you can also be religious and the food is also with high standards of kashrus and you also have the option of keeping shabbat and you can also do an insane amount of mivtsoyim there. all the people who think the army is a bad place to be religious is wrong, i know plenty of people who have become much stronger religiously thanx to the army and i personally find it much easier and enoyable to be frum in the army than in ch. there are of course the few people who have gone down religiously but that happens every place in the world, the amount of people who have become religious in the army is mch higher than the amount of people who have gone down religiously. im proud to be part of chayalei chabad!!!