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Hesder Yeshiva Har Bracha Disconnected From IDF
Who is against who? The Defense Minister invited Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Bracha, to a hearing. Rabbi Melamed agreed to come on condition that Barak will declare that it is a talk and not a hearing. The Defense Minister refused. Rabbi Melamed did not come. Defense Minister to the students: "Look for another hesder yeshiva."
"Defense Minister Ehud Barak decided tonight (Sunday) to remove Yeshivat Har Bracha from the arrangement that exists between the IDF and the yeshiva, and directed the IDF to remove the yeshiva from the arrangement within a reasonable time to enable Har Bracha students to choose whether to integrate in another hesder yeshiva," reads the message.
"The Defense Minister rules that Rabbi Melamed's actions and remarks undermine the foundations of Israeli democracy and have encouraged and incited some of his students to insubordination, protests, and harming the IDF's spirit, and there is no room for this in a normal country. We must be sure to keep the IDF out of political debate.”
If there are those who feared it would happen, tonight the Defense Minister made a significant step after Rabbi Eliezer Melamed refused to attend a "hearing" in his office. Rabbi Melamed stated that if the Defense Minister declared that this is a ‘conversation’ and not a ‘hearing’ he would come, but the Defense Minister insisted on the meeting as a hearing. Because of the stubbornness on both sides the meeting was prevented, and the Defense Minister took this unprecedented step.
After the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Bracha said he won’t attend the meeting, associates of the rabbi made sure to inform the media that "the Defense Minister has probably forgotten that yeshiva heads don’t work for him and has therefore chosen to engage in an improper style of setting an ultimatum through the media and scheduling a hearing. The rabbi will not partake in such a discourse."
If that's not enough, the associates made sure to apologize in advance and tell anyone who would listen that the invitation from Barak's office was received by the Rabbi in the afternoon, after he had already set other personal plans. "The talk about a hearing for the Rabbi came to the media already last night, but he just remembered this afternoon to inform him officially," they said.
Last Thursday, Rabbi Melamed met with Deputy Minister Matan Vilnai. Vilnai clarified to the Rabbi that he must condemn of all acts of insubordination in the IDF. In the meeting, Vilnai gave an ultimatum to the Rabbi, according to which he must condemn the refusal to evacuate settlements in public, and if not, Vilnai said, "I will recommend to the Defense Ministry to stop the arrangement with the Yeshiva." Rabbi Melamed asked for a few days to examine the issue, but Deputy Minister Vilnai insisted on a final answer by Sunday.
As noted, this evening the Deputy Minister's recommendation was accepted by the Defense Minister’s office, whereupon they decided to sever contacts with Yeshivat Har Bracha. "Look for another hesder yeshiva," the stunned students were told.
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