Chairman Avigdor Kahalani of the Organization for the Soldier said Monday that Hesder yeshivas - which combine military service and religious study - produce top quality soldiers. Speaking at a forum in Jerusalem about Hesder soldiers having to choose between their rabbis and commanders, the reserves brigadier general said "if the IDF pushes out the yeshivas, it will find itself without thousands of soldiers who are the salt of the earth, and the state and the IDF will lose."
Central District Commander Avi Mizrachi has proposed taking the Har Bracha yeshiva out of the Hesder program over remarks by Yeshiva Head Eliezer Melamed. The rabbi has vowed to remain outspoken. A number of rabbis plan to meet Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday about the proposal.