Lubavitchers in the IDF Protest Attempts to Assimilate Them

Despite public moves to establish tracks in the IDF for Charedim, soldiers who joined, including several Lubavitchers, are complaining about not getting what they were promised and being put in very problematic situations. Vienna shliach Rabbi Shaya Boas raised an uproar about the urgent problem.

By Anash.org reporter

In a sharply worded message, Vienna shliach Rabbi Shaya Boas railed against the IDF’s recruitment drive for Charedim, accusing them of breaking their promises to his son: “Yeah, right – they want to recruit Charedim. They want to destroy Charedim!”

In a post YWN reported, he described the IDF’s conduct towards his son: “My son enlisted through the IDF’s Charedi Administration. After a year of civilian training within the army, he was sent to a cyber course at the IDF School of Computer Science on behalf of the Administration – and this after he refused a prestigious course – only because they demanded that he give up his Charedi status.”

“He asked again and again and was promised: the course will be separated by gender and the food will have the hechsher of the Badatz. He did not even demand a mikveh nor Chassidishe shechita. Just that they meet the minimum.”

“But in practice? There was no gender separation. There was no Badatz food. The sleeping arrangements? Ten meters between the males and females. My son, who stood by his principles, is now stuck in limbo. Waiting for an undefined assignment.”

“And his friends from the Charedi track? They caved in. They joined the mixed course. They’re also compromising on kashrus. And you can’t even claim that these are new departments that are ‘still learning the field.’ The Charedi Administration and the Bina B’Yarok track have been around for more than a decade, with budgets, experience, and structure.”

“If, after all this, they don’t meet their commitments, this is not a malfunction; this is policy!”

Rabbi Boas continues in his post:

“And one more thing: before marketing a new track, make sure the existing participants are satisfied. What is the point of the whole campaign to recruit Charedim if my son comes home and tells all his friends that the ‘Charedi-adapted’ tracks are a big bluff?”

“So enough with the stories about ‘sharing the burden’ and all the other nonsense. This is not about contribution. It’s about a melting pot. About erasure.”

It should be noted that the above story is not an isolated one, with many Chareidi and Dati Leumi soldiers telling similar stories, especially regarding gender separation, including sleeping arrangements. The IDF is one of the only armies in the world that has a mandatory draft law for women, making gender separation extremely difficult as women serve in so many roles in the army.

Earlier this week, Kol B’Ramah revealed the story of Yisrael, a Lubavitcher from the north who has been serving in the reserves for 15 years in a Home Front Command battalion, including about 200 days in the war.

According to the report, he had requested for months to be transferred to another combat battalion after his battalion became mixed, leading to situations that violated his rights as a Charedi. Even his commander tried to address the issue, but the mixed battalion refused to release him.

In the meantime, he didn’t enlist for another reserve duty order and is considered AWOL, and is subject to serious consequences.

He said: “I am interested in continuing to serve, and several non-mixed battalions wanted to take me, but the army won’t allow it. My commander also approached the officer who deals with gender issues, and she also refuses to allow it – and this is against orders. Is this how the army wants to absorb Charedim, without granting them their rights?”

A controversy also erupted in recent months in the newly established Chashmona’im Brigade, where several Lubavitcher soldiers are facing backlash for insisting on daily mikveh before davening.

From the outset, the soldiers requested a proper mikveh on base, emphasizing that they had been promised before enlistment that they could maintain their Chassidishe standards. However, once they were enlisted, their requests were ignored.

In the meantime, the soldiers asked for permission to immerse themselves in a nearby spring each morning, and their direct commanders allowed it, even providing a military driver to take them. This arrangement continued for some time without issue. However, after intervention from higher-ranking officers, the soldiers were suddenly told that mikveh immersion was no longer allowed – not even off-base. Their requests to revisit the issue were met with outright refusal, and instead of seeking a solution, the brigade command summoned them for disciplinary hearings, threatening their place in the unit.

One of the soldiers expressed his frustration: “It’s absurd that in other units, soldiers who want to swim are allowed, and Air Force pilots even have swimming pools on base. But here, where they explicitly told us we will be able to keep our mesorah, we’re now being told that our way of life is a problem.”

Before the recruit, senior officers had gone on record reassuring recruits that their religious practices would not be compromised. Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Amir Baram had stated: “We will preserve the Charedi way of life of the combat soldiers – there is no contradiction between Torah observance and military service.” Similarly, Brigade Commander Avinoam Emunah said: “This unit will enable Charedim to enlist while fully preserving their identity.”

Despite these assurances, the soldiers are now being harassed for standing firm in their religious commitments. The soldiers acknowledge that tevilah may not always be possible during field exercises, but they say there is no justification for banning it while stationed on base, where the IDF invests significant funds into infrastructure.

A senior figure involved in the matter remarked: “This unit had the potential to be a breakthrough in the IDF’s relationship with the Charedi community. Instead, it’s turning into a major disappointment for the bochurim who enlisted in good faith and for those who encouraged them to join.”

Chabad journalist Mendy Rizel reports that while Brigade Commander Emunah may have been willing to overlook the matter, Major General David Zini actively opposed the soldiers’ requests, citing so-called “security concerns.” “It’s ironic,” Rizel noted, “that Zini enforces restrictions on mikveh use but does nothing about the widespread security issue of unapproved smartphones on base.”

Following their refusal to compromise on mikveh immersion, the IDF has now decided to remove them from the Chashmona’im Brigade. Rather than honoring the promises made before enlistment, the IDF has chosen to push them into non-combat roles rather than allow them to uphold their standards within the unit.