The document of understanding sent yesterday (Thursday) by Haim Blumenblatt, Chief of Staff to Defense Minister Bogy Ya'alon, to the Haredi MKs brings the question of yeshiva graduates reporting to the recruitment offices to the decision-making stage.
The document, which summarized the MKs' meeting with the minister, presents the understandings reached and includes three main achievements: medical examinations will be canceled by the first order; information on recruitment tracks will be provided only "if requested"; and there will be no women in the selection center at the recruitment offices. On the other hand, some of the demands presented by the MKs at the meeting were not accepted, such as the demand to allow yeshiva students to arrive centrally to receive the postponements. The document does not provide a response to this demand, and some say it even implies that it will not allow this, by stipulating that the attendance will be "personal and physical.".
There seems to be no debate about one thing, and everyone admits: the understanding document is a capitulation on the part of the army and shows the IDF's great fear of a decision that will determine not to report to the recruitment offices.
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What will the salons decide?
While the Council of Torah Sages of Degel HaTorah (apart from Rabbi Auerbach) decided even before the presentation of the document received yesterday to show up as usual and not break the rules, opinions are divided in the Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Yisrael. According to the document received, it can perhaps be determined that the Rebbe of Slonim, who ordered his followers not to show up, will change his mind in light of the understandings reached, since the reason for his decision to prohibit showing up was mainly due to modesty issues - and this problem has apparently been resolved. However, it should be emphasized that the Rebbe's decision after receiving the document of understanding has not yet been communicated and is not known at this time.
On the other hand, the decision of the Rebbe of Vizhnitz, according to estimates, will not change because the Rebbe stated that reporting is preparation for the 2017 draft, and as MK Menachem Eliezer Mozes defined it last night in an interview with Kol Berama Radio: "The Rebbe's opinion is that they are not reporting because they are not prepared to build the railroad in preparation for the destruction in 2017. The entire content of Ya'alon's letter - Ya'alon told me two months ago. I told the Rebbe this, and despite this he says: In practice, not reporting. And two days ago, the Rebbe was in Meron, and Gafni and I were there. The Rebbe told us: Stand strong and don't give up.".
On the other hand, it turns out that the personal opinion of the Rebbe of Vizhnitz will not decide against appearing, since the Rebbe stated this week that if the 'council' decides that one should appear, then "after many have been persuaded," and Vizhnitz will also be criticized in the same way.
At a meeting of the three 'councils' held in the month of Adar at the Vizhnitz Hotel, the Vizhnitz Rebbe said publicly: "All the Rebbes and Rabbis should make a joint decision that there is no army at all. We do not refer to the army, we do not stand up at all, that they will not work us hard - as Rashi explains in a soft voice." However, at the end of the meeting, it was decided that the decision on the matter would be made immediately after the law passes in the Knesset.
The readers of the dailies are not allowed to know
While 'Hamodia', 'Yated Ne'eman' and 'Hambeshar' are not reporting this morning (Friday) on the document of understandings that was reached, the 'Hapeles' newspaper of the 'Bnei Torah' faction published a decisive headline on the matter this morning: "No to negotiations, no to dialogue" - it was written in a red headline in the newspaper. "The Haredi public rejects the Defense Minister's attempt at dialogue." Alongside this, the instruction of the Grand Rabbi Auerbach is published again, that there is no change and there is no need to stand up at all.
This morning, MK Aryeh Deri's office in the Rehavia neighborhood of Jerusalem, Knesset members Yaakov Litzman, Aryeh Deri, Moshe Gafni, Meir Porush, and Ariel Atias, along with the secretaries of the Councils of Torah Scholars, Rabbi Avraham Rubinstein and Rabbi Mordechai Stern, gathered to discuss the document and decide what to recommend to the Torah Scholars.
The meeting ended without results, as the rebbes are demanding clarification on two issues. One issue is a question of wording: During the meeting with the Minister of Defense, the MKs requested that information not be given about the recruitment routes unless the person reporting requests it, while the Minister wrote it differently: that the information would be given if requested, and it was not explicitly stated that if not requested, it would not be received; another demand was presented by several of the rebbes, according to which yeshiva students at the age of 16 and a half would be able to arrive centrally at the recruitment offices, and each yeshiva would receive a joint reporting date.
Only after receiving clarification from the Minister of Defense on these questions will those present gather again to make a final decision.
It is estimated that the three "councils" will convene in the period leading up to the decision. Agudat Israel estimates that before the councils convene, clear agreements will also be reached with the Rebbe of Vizhnitz, since the secretary of the Council of Torah Sages of Agudat Israel is a judge in Vizhnitz Hasidism, and despite the statement of "after many have been persuaded," it is impossible to organize a council without his activity, and to make decisions contrary to the firm opinion of his master - the Rebbe of Vizhnitz.
