Israel’s religious leadership warns coalition against weakening IDF duty as Arab adversaries intensify threats.
Rabbi David Stav, Chairman of the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization and Rabbi of Shoham, issued an urgent moral appeal to the Religious Zionism party, urging them to reverse course and refuse support for the draft law in its current form. Speaking to 103FM, Rabbi Stav emphasized that the bill contradicts the very values that have long guided the national-religious community—values rooted in Torah, responsibility, and unwavering commitment to Israel’s defense.
Rabbi Stav stressed that Religious Zionism is not monolithic, and even within the party, serious voices oppose the legislation. “I want to believe they will come to their senses,” he said. “Supporting this law is a stinging slap to the national-religious public, which has sacrificed so much—risking their lives in the past two years just as other Israelis have.”
He argued that the bill dishonors not only the public but the Torah itself, by creating an artificial split between Torah study and military service. Rabbi Stav invoked the memory of two Tzohar rabbis who fell during the Iron Swords War, noting they never viewed Torah learning as separate from the obligation to defend Israel—especially against genocidal threats from Hamas and its regional Arab backers.
The rabbi warned that adopting the law would cause a deep educational rupture. “A rabbi who encourages students in hesder programs or pre-military academies to enlist, yet publicly backs this law, sends a dangerous message—one that undermines the sacrifices of reservists and their families,” he said. “This is a serious moral blow. It does not even attempt to increase enlistment, which is what angers me most.”
Rabbi Stav added that while some rabbis object out of fear the right-wing government may fall, political calculations cannot override core Jewish values. He emphasized that some spiritual leaders simply aren’t aware of the bill’s full details due to their focus on Torah study, but that ignorance cannot justify support.
He concluded unequivocally:
“Rabbis must speak from principle, not politics. If the law is flawed—if it is a desecration—then no rabbi can support it while others risk their lives to defend Israel. Political justifications have no place here.”
His message echoes a wider sentiment across Israel: in an era when the Jewish state faces constant threats from Hamas, Iran, and hostile Arab regimes, weakening national service sends precisely the wrong signal.
