According to a deal hammered out between the leaders of Chabad in Israel and the IDF, 15% of Chabad students will be exempt from army service; and the other 85% will be drafted at the age of 26 after returning from a year of 'Kvutzeh' in Crown Heights.

Chabad Leaders Broker Deal with IDF over Draft

According to a deal hammered out between the leaders of Chabad in Israel and the IDF, 15% of Chabad students will be exempt from army service; and the other 85% will be drafted at the age of 26 after returning from a year of ‘Kvutzeh’ in Crown Heights.

From Arutz Sheva:

Leaders of the Chabad Lubavitch movement signed off on a deal with the IDF which would exempt 15 percent of their yeshiva students from the draft, according to Mendy Reisel of Kol Rama.

According to the agreement, 15 percent of Chabad students will get a complete exemption from military service, so they can focus on being emissaries of Chabad. Chabad rabbis and the IDF will jointly vet the students who would receive this exemption.

The plan also allows for Chabad students to receive a two-year exemption to leave Israel, after they have studied six years in yeshiva. One of those years would be devoted to study at the “Kevutzah” seminary at 770, the Chabad headquarters in Brooklyn, NY. The second year would be devoted to studying for rabbinical ordination at a certified Chabad center or institute. (Chabad hassidim work toward rabbinical ordination before they get married, in accordance with the teachings of the last Rebbe of Lubavitch.)

Click here to continue reading at Arutz Sheva.

8 Comments

  • with the old breed

    Which 15%? who will make the choice who will stay and who will go?

    • Milhouse

      In what way is it against the Rebbe’s opinion? Where is this alleged opinion published? Once someone is married and not in full-time learning any more, why should they not be subject to conscription?

  • Dina Demalchusa Dina

    Seems like we are going back to the days in Russia, when a certain number of boys were exempt from Army service, naturally, the rich families paid to keep their sons off the list. It was the poor families that nebach had no choice but to give up their sons to the Tzar’s Army. Some things don’t change. Hashem yerachaim.

  • Proud Mother of a former soldier

    Why not. Do these kids a lot of good. Give back to the country that supports them. Discipline, team work, physic and mental health. Ever see these Israeli Bochurim in Crown Heights? Hanging around, rude and noisy. Learn how to work.

  • Another Proud Mother of a Former Soldier

    Actually, the Rebbe commented once (I don’t have the place, but I saw it recently on a JEM video) that bochurim should learn, but since not everyone is learning material, they (Israelis) should at least do something positive & useful, including army service.
    And, no, from experience, the army will NOT ruin your child. They go out of their way to accommodate frum soldiers. If he/she is serious and strong in their frumkeit (partly your responsibility as a parent), they may even come out atronger.