The Rebbe of the Belz Hasidic court made an out-of-the-ordinary statement this week regarding the behavior of many of the court's members during vacation.
During the summer break, many haredi families fly to Europe while others vacation in Israel.
For years the Belz Rebbe would spend the summer in a vacation home in Telz-Stone, a small town outside of Jerusalem. This year, the Rebbe chose not to leave Jerusalem, to stay in his residence, and to even accept more visitors than in past years.
When asked why, he answered that one can not go to rest when the soldiers are risking their lives on the front lines.
"How can I travel for rest and vacation when we are fighting a battle on all fronts and soldiers are sacrificing their lives, they're working hard for us and we're going on vacation?" the Rebbe was quoted saying by haredi news site Behadrei Haredim.
The Rebbe of the Sanz group also chose to forgo his vacation this year, which he usually spends in the coastal city of Caesaria, according to a source in the group, due to the war.