Avreichim in IDF: "Lengthened basic training contrary to promises"

Hareidim who were recruited to the IDF in the hareidi frameworks, and were sent to a camp for basic training of 3-4 weeks, complain that their officers lengthened their training by two weeks.

Involved are avreichim of 27-33 years old, heads of families, for whom the parting with their families for another two weeks is a hard reality.

These hareidim who stated their basic training on the 10.6.12 in the 'Dores' company in the Nizanim basic training camp, turned to Behadrei Hareidim with a claim that the training has been lengthened to a period of a month and a half, in contrary to what was agreed upon in advance.

M., a hareidi soldier told Behadrei Hareidim: "We were all promised that in all the courses which are meant for hareidim, the basic training is between 3 and 4 weeks, like the general basic training of the IDF (02), to those who are not fighters.
"In actuality, the company officer announced that they are lengthening the training for a period of a month and a half, as an instruction from above which is not related to the camp and is impossible to change.

"Another officer told us that the reason for this is taking a department in the company to build tents for infiltrators in the south. Since the ceremony for finishing the basic training is held for all the soldiers together, they told us that in the extra two weeks they will teach us other subjects as well.

"The soldiers are 27 to 33 years old, some of them with three or four children. To disconnect from the family for three weeks is a hard thing, for us soldiers, and surely for the wife who stays to cope alone with the children. They told us that it would be for maximum of 4 weeks, but for a month and a half? This is too much, and in contrary to what was agreed upon", M. ends painfully.

Another soldier says: "Is this the way they want us? If in a simple recruitment one can't rely on the army, how does the state want us to recruit? The lack of consideration evokes a big wonder about the high level of the army, and a big question about its way of dealing. In our approaches to those in charge of recruitment, we did not receive an answer".

Yossi Cohen, in charge of the project of integrating hareidim in 'Shachar' (Hareidi Service), tells Behadrei Hareidim that it is illogical to lengthen the basic training of hareidim: "I am the one who initiated the idea of shortened basic training for hareidim, they have nothing to look for on Shabbos and Yomtov in the camp.

"In this case, according to what I inquired, the lengthening of the training is for 5 weeks altogether. But for those who have families, this is too much." He ends his words, "I will do everything in my power to cancel the lengthening of the training".

Cohen also adds that following the issue of recruiting hareidim, which recently got public attention, "I do not recruit any hareidi who learns full time, only one who went out to work with the advice of a Rav to make a living for his family. The service is done among men alone, where the officers are mainly hareidim, too."

Harav Shimshon Klein, the Rav of Shachar, tells Behadrei Hareidim, "I have just heard about the instance. For two years I served as Rav of the technical army base in Haifa, and I never heard of basic training which lasted longer than a month. I will act in order to cancel it."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!