Leading IDF figures took part in two significant events this week, and came away with somewhat contrasting messages.
On Monday, the IDF General Staff was hosted at the Jewish Agency for Israel for a special symposium on "The Uniqueness and Mission of the IDF - Israeli and Jewish Identity." Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor said that the IDF is a dominant factor in Jewish identity among Jews throughout the world. "The IDF embodies the core feeling that every Jew in the world has a safe haven for him or herself," Meridor said. "There are figures that show a shrinking of the Jewish People, that every year we lose 50,000 Jews - which means losing 135 Jews a day as a result of trends in assimilation and distancing from the Jewish tradition... The Jewish Agency is a partner with the IDF in special programs which deepen the Jewish Zionist connection between the soldiers of the IDF with the State of Israel and the Jewish People."
Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon said that there are youths who are drafted with a weak Jewish-Zionist connection, and that some soldiers and officers ask, "Is it worth being here? For what are we fighting? Why do we need a Jewish State?" Yaalon said that these questions "are very relevant to those who send soldiers on life-endangering missions. The role of the IDF is to educate and explain those subjects to the soldiers." The IDF has launched a new education program, as part of all officers' training courses, on issues of Judaism, Zionism, and the Land of Israel.
On Tuesday, the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza (Yesha Council) conducted an event to show thanks to the IDF and the security forces serving in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Hundreds of soldiers and Yesha residents took part in the festive event, which took place in the Binyanei HaUmah Convention Center in Jerusalem. President Moshe Katzav and Chief of Staff Yaalon addressed the residents; the two complimented them on their ability to withstand the grave difficulties imposed on them by the security situation, but at the same time asked that there be no violence, or refusal to obey army orders, in the event of an "evacuation." Yesha Council head Bentzy Lieberman, as well as 11-year-old Shaked Chever, expressed "love and thanks" towards the soldiers. The speeches were followed by a performance by popular singer Shlomi Shabbat.
On Monday, the IDF General Staff was hosted at the Jewish Agency for Israel for a special symposium on "The Uniqueness and Mission of the IDF - Israeli and Jewish Identity." Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor said that the IDF is a dominant factor in Jewish identity among Jews throughout the world. "The IDF embodies the core feeling that every Jew in the world has a safe haven for him or herself," Meridor said. "There are figures that show a shrinking of the Jewish People, that every year we lose 50,000 Jews - which means losing 135 Jews a day as a result of trends in assimilation and distancing from the Jewish tradition... The Jewish Agency is a partner with the IDF in special programs which deepen the Jewish Zionist connection between the soldiers of the IDF with the State of Israel and the Jewish People."
Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon said that there are youths who are drafted with a weak Jewish-Zionist connection, and that some soldiers and officers ask, "Is it worth being here? For what are we fighting? Why do we need a Jewish State?" Yaalon said that these questions "are very relevant to those who send soldiers on life-endangering missions. The role of the IDF is to educate and explain those subjects to the soldiers." The IDF has launched a new education program, as part of all officers' training courses, on issues of Judaism, Zionism, and the Land of Israel.
On Tuesday, the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza (Yesha Council) conducted an event to show thanks to the IDF and the security forces serving in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Hundreds of soldiers and Yesha residents took part in the festive event, which took place in the Binyanei HaUmah Convention Center in Jerusalem. President Moshe Katzav and Chief of Staff Yaalon addressed the residents; the two complimented them on their ability to withstand the grave difficulties imposed on them by the security situation, but at the same time asked that there be no violence, or refusal to obey army orders, in the event of an "evacuation." Yesha Council head Bentzy Lieberman, as well as 11-year-old Shaked Chever, expressed "love and thanks" towards the soldiers. The speeches were followed by a performance by popular singer Shlomi Shabbat.