Speaking at today's Cabinet meeting, Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, "The hesder yeshivot are a national asset the brought about historic achievements in various planes of our lives. The population in most of these yeshivot is enthusiastic and most dedicated in their contributions to the State of Israel."
Olmert made the statement as the government approved the military's recommendation to shorten compulsory army service from 36 to 28-32 months. However, the proposal to close all hesder yeshivot and draft the students into regular service was returned to the Defense Minister for his reconsideration.
Hesder yeshivot, virtually all of which belong to the national-religious camp, are institutions in which some 6,000 students both study Torah and serve in the army. The hesder soldiers generally spend 16 months in active service, and the rest of the time in the yeshiva.
In response to Olmert's remarks, a statement released by the joint National Union-National Religious Party faction said, "Olmert's advisors believe that our public is stupid and would buy these empty slogans from the man who incited against the hesder yeshivot and called for their deans to be indicted, and is now leading the campaign to close them down."
The recommendation to close the yeshivot was made by an advisory committee headed by Prof. Avi Ben-Bassat. Rabbi David Stav - head of Yeshivat Petach Tikvah and the spokesman of the hesder yeshivot union - said the committee never even gave a hearing to hesder elements. "They sat for months," Rabbi Stav said, "and discussed various aspects of the hesder and other tracks, without inviting anyone to explain what hesder is all about, what is the rationale behind it, what are the alternatives and what are the ramifications."
Rabbi Stav explained that the proposal to shorten army service will also have negative ramifications on the hesder soldiers: "It will cause female soldiers to have to take up more combat duties, and this will make it harder for religious males to serve. In addition, it will increase the pressure to end the hesder arrangement - because the missing months of combat duty will have to be made up from somewhere, and the most likely place will be the hesder students."
The Ben-Bassat Committee itself recommended that the number of enlisted women be increased, and that more women be transferred to positions usually designated for male soldiers.
Olmert made the statement as the government approved the military's recommendation to shorten compulsory army service from 36 to 28-32 months. However, the proposal to close all hesder yeshivot and draft the students into regular service was returned to the Defense Minister for his reconsideration.
Hesder yeshivot, virtually all of which belong to the national-religious camp, are institutions in which some 6,000 students both study Torah and serve in the army. The hesder soldiers generally spend 16 months in active service, and the rest of the time in the yeshiva.
In response to Olmert's remarks, a statement released by the joint National Union-National Religious Party faction said, "Olmert's advisors believe that our public is stupid and would buy these empty slogans from the man who incited against the hesder yeshivot and called for their deans to be indicted, and is now leading the campaign to close them down."
The recommendation to close the yeshivot was made by an advisory committee headed by Prof. Avi Ben-Bassat. Rabbi David Stav - head of Yeshivat Petach Tikvah and the spokesman of the hesder yeshivot union - said the committee never even gave a hearing to hesder elements. "They sat for months," Rabbi Stav said, "and discussed various aspects of the hesder and other tracks, without inviting anyone to explain what hesder is all about, what is the rationale behind it, what are the alternatives and what are the ramifications."
Rabbi Stav explained that the proposal to shorten army service will also have negative ramifications on the hesder soldiers: "It will cause female soldiers to have to take up more combat duties, and this will make it harder for religious males to serve. In addition, it will increase the pressure to end the hesder arrangement - because the missing months of combat duty will have to be made up from somewhere, and the most likely place will be the hesder students."
The Ben-Bassat Committee itself recommended that the number of enlisted women be increased, and that more women be transferred to positions usually designated for male soldiers.