A haredi commander serving in an elite technological unit decided to end his military service in recent days, following an explicit instruction from Rabbi Avraham Salem, a member of the Council of Torah Sages of Shas, as revealed by Kan News.
During a conversation the two held with one another, Rabbi Salem addressed his service and said, "Leave the IDF because it is at war with students of Torah, so that your family will not be harmed because you are a soldier".
He went on to further clarify the limits of what was permitted: "You can go to reserve duty, but do not take part in something that would tie you more to the army".
On the other hand, the soldier said that at the beginning of his military path, and particularly around the October 7th massacre, he received support and backing from several senior rabbis.
However, as the public rift deepened over the Draft Law and with the intensification of enforcement measures and sanctions against draft evaders, support from the spiritual leadership began to fade.
In Rabbi Salem’s circle, the details of the case were confirmed.