Ultra-orthodox leader forgoes vacation in honor of IDF soldiers

Belzer Rebbe, ‘How can I travel for rest and vacation when we are fighting a battle on all fronts and soldiers are sacrificing their lives?’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The rebbe of the Belz ultra-orthodox sect announced he would forego his summer vacation in honor of IDF soldiers fighting in the Gaza war.

Yissachar Dov Rokeach was quoted on the ultra-orthodox news site Behadrei Haredim saying, “How can I travel for rest and vacation when we are fighting a battle on all fronts and soldiers are sacrificing their lives, they’re working hard for us, and we’re going on vacation?”

The Belzer Rebbe said he would remain in Jerusalem rather than venture to his vacation home in Telz Stone, which is his usual practice in the summer.

He also resolved to welcome more visitors than in past years.

Ultra-orthodox Jews often travel in the summer to Europe or places within Israel.

The Rebbe of Sanz, Zvi Elimelech Halberstam, also said he would also forego his vacation this year, which he usually spends in Caesaria.

The Israeli military will begin the process of drafting 3,000 ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students next month in keeping with last month’s landmark Supreme Court ruling.

Supreme Court’s ruling last month instructed the government to immediately induct 3,000 yeshiva students who are now eligible for the draft, following the court’s overturning of the previous draft deferment law.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Likud) met with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to discuss a procedure to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling. The two agreed that beginning in August, the army would mail draft calls to yeshiva students to meet the quota set by the court’s ruling.

Gallant and Halevi agreed during their meeting that the army would take steps to ensure that the newly inducted soldiers could maintain their religious lifestyles.

On June 25th, the court ruled against the Israeli government’s decision to continue to issue annual draft deferments to full-time yeshiva students and to fund students relying on the deferments despite the court’s striking down of the draft law years earlier.