Rabbi Benny Kalmanson, head of the Otniel Yeshiva and the father of Elhanan Kalmanson, who was killed in battle on October 7, sharply criticized the new draft law and the manner in which the government is advancing it.
In an interview broadcast on Galei Zahal (Friday), Rabbi Kalmanson said that he took part in a protest outside the Knesset and argued that the law endangers the security of the state.
According to him, “In the absence of soldiers and a shortage of combat fighters, we are endangering the country. We are selling the security of the State of Israel in exchange for another two months in power."
He said the issue is not merely avoiding enlistment, but a move that would receive permanent legal backing: “They are going to grant a legal, permanent approval for the exemption of a valued sector. There is no mechanism whatsoever to ensure that these people are actually studying Torah."
Rabbi Kalmanzon, who also lost his nephew, Pediah Mark, during the fighting in Gaza, stressed that he did not come to the protest as a bereaved father, but “as a concerned citizen." Nevertheless, he added, “Bereavement intensifies the message. Torah study is dear to my heart; it is what I have devoted my entire life to."
He added that he has spoken with political figures, including those identified with the religious-Zionist public. “I receive answers saying that it is important to keep the government in place, and that the Left would do the same thing. I have no idea whether the claim that the Left would do the same is correct or not; that interests me less."
Addressing the argument that the government must be preserved, he said: “I think this claim will backfire. This public will be angry at the government and will vote it out. From their perspective, both the Religious Zionism party and Likud are currently committing political suicide - losing their popularity and their relevance - just to hang on for another moment, and in doing so they are endangering the State of Israel. Not a single combat soldier will be drafted through this Bismuth framework. History will judge Bismuth."
“Hashem will not forgive them, and history will not forget this injustice. The State of Israel has not yet finished dealing with its enemies - we need soldiers," he concluded.