Defense Ministry Director-General Udi Adam held this evening, Wednesday, a hearing with Rabbi Eli Sadan, the director of “Bnei David” institutions in Eli, and with CEO of the institutions Lior Shatul, over army service deferral quotas for students in their second and third years of study at the Eli pre-military yeshiva .
During the hearing, the institution heads presented their positions. The decision of the Defense Ministry on the matter is to be given in coming weeks.
Last Wednesday, Adam had cancelled a scheduled hearing with Rabbi Sadan over the threat that the government would retract its recognition of the pre-military yeshiva due to comments made by senior rabbi at the yeshiva Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit had prevented Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman from holding a hearing on the matter. Rabbi Levinstein had harshly criticized the policy of creating mixed gender combat units in the IDF and women serving as soldiers.
A letter addressed to Rabbi Sadan from the Defense Ministry read: "In view of the position of the Attorney General, I hereby inform you of the cancellation of the hearing that was set for you regarding the removal of the hesder yeshiva from the list of recognized yeshivas in light of the harsh statements made by Rabbi Yigal Levinstein."
Rabbi Sadan was summoned in the letter to a separate hearing on the potential removal of benefits in the form of draft deferral from the yeshiva; this is the meeting that took place tonight.