Major-General Elazar Stern, the head of IDF Human Resources, addressed the phenomenon of draft dodging in a talk at Bar Ilan University on Wednesday. Stern warned that draft dodging is on the rise in several sectors, including the national-religious, where motivation to serve in the IDF has traditionally been high. Stern said that since the “Disengagement” from Gaza an increasing number of national-religious men were receiving exemptions from service by claiming involvement in full-time Torah study.
Stern criticized those who do not perform army service, even those who receive an exemption. Stern called for hareidi-religious men to enlist in Netzach Yehuda (Nahal Hareidi), saying, “They have conditions there that are even better than those in Bnei Brak. They don’t see a girl from even from a kilometer away.” Stern expressed hope that Netzach Yehuda, which is currently a regiment, would become an entire brigade.