The rise of Israel's military rabbis

Israel's army is changing. Once proudly secular, its combat units are now filling with those who believe Israel's wars are "God's wars".

Military rabbis are becoming more powerful. Trained in warfare as well as religion, new army regulations mean they are now part of a military elite.

They graduate from officer's school and operate closely with military commanders. One of their main duties is to boost soldiers' morale and drive, even on the front line.

This has caused quite some controversy in Israel. Should military motivation come from men of God, or from a belief in the state of Israel and keeping it safe?

The military rabbis rose to prominence during Israel's invasion of Gaza earlier this year.

Some of their activities raised troubling questions about political-religious influence in the military.

Gal Einav, a non-religious soldier said there was wall-to-wall religious rhetoric in the base, the barracks and on the battlefield.

As soon as soldiers signed for their rifles, he said, they were given a book of psalms.

And, as his company headed in to Gaza, he told me, they were flanked by a civilian rabbi on one side and a military rabbi on the other:

"It felt like a religious war. Like a crusade. It disturbed me. Religion and the army should be completely separate," he said.

'Sons of light'

But military rabbis, like Lieutenant Shmuel Kaufman, welcome the changes.

In previous wars rabbis had to stay far from the front, he says. In Gaza, they were ordered to accompany the fighters.

"Our job was to boost the fighting spirit of the soldiers. The eternal Jewish spirit from Bible times to the coming of the Messiah."

Before his unit went in to Gaza, Rabbi Kaufman said their commander told him to blow the ram's horn: "Like (biblical) Joshua when he conquered the land of Israel. It makes the war holier."

Rabbis handed out hundreds of religious pamphlets during the Gaza war.

When they came to light, they caused huge controversy in Israel. Some leaflets called Israeli soldiers the "sons of light" and Palestinians, the "sons of darkness".

Others compared the Palestinians to the Philistines, the bitter biblical enemy of the Jewish people.

Israel's military has distanced itself from the publications, but they carried the army's official stamp.

Still, army leaders insist their rabbis respect military ethics and put their private convictions aside. They say the same about the new wave of nationalist religious solders joining Israel's fighting forces.

'Religious duty'

I visited an orthodox Jewish seminary near Hebron in the West Bank. It is one of an increasing number of religious schools that encourage taking the Jewish Bible to the battlefield.

All students at the seminary choose to serve in Israel's combat units while statistics suggest less ideologically-driven Israelis are avoiding them. This has made headline news in Israel.

The 19-year-olds I spoke to at the seminary told me religious soldiers like them can make the army behave better and become "more moral".

They believe it is their religious duty to protect the citizens of Israel, the Jewish state. The Lord commands it, they said.

The students' seminary is built in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank.

If President Barack Obama gets his way, Israel will eventually evacuate most settlements.

They are illegal under international law and Palestinians claim the territory as part of their future state. But for the religious soldiers the West Bank is part of land, given to the Jews by God.

Gal Einav thinks many soldiers will refuse to close settlements down.

The settlement issue could well tear the army apart, he told me, adding that most of his officers are settlers these days.

"If it comes to a clash between political orders from Israel's government and a contradictory message from the rabbis, settlers and religious right-wing soldiers will follow the rabbis," he said.

Threat of 'Jihad'

Israel's military leaders strongly disagree.

Brigadier General Eli Shermeister is the army's chief education officer.

He admits some mistakes were made in the past but says the right balance has now been found with the military rabbis.

He insists Israel's military commanders are the only ones in charge of the soldiers' spirit.

"The moral code of the Israel's army is clear. We judge soldiers in the light of this code. Nobody can create another moral code. [Certainly] not a religious one."

But Brig Gen Shermeister's predecessor describes what he sees as clear and worrying changes within the military.

According to Reserve Gen Nehemia Dagan, what is happening in the army is far more dangerous than most Israelis realise: "We (soldiers) used to be able to put aside our own ideas in order to do what we had to do. It didn't matter if we were religious or from a kibbutz. But that's not the case anymore.

"The morals of the battlefield cannot come from a religious authority. Once it does, it's Jihad. I know people will not like that word but that's what it is, Holy War. And once it's Holy War there are no limits."

Many religious Jews object to the type of preaching heard during Israel's recent Gaza operation.

They say it perverts the true teachings of Judaism as well as contradicts Israel's military code.

Day to day, Israel's army mainly operates in civilian areas - in Gaza, the West Bank and in East Jerusalem.

Influences Israeli soldiers are exposed to are extremely significant.

The way they view Palestinians who live here is likely to affect the way they use their power and their weapons.

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w1z4rd said:

Who would have thought that Jews thought their god was so impotent.. that it need them to fight its battle for them.

Very lame god right there.

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DigitalSoldier said:

The Jewish or Muslim God ?

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smokey said:

Seeing as it is the same God... it would be silly for him to lob a fireball at himself!

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DigitalSoldier said:

There are some that would disagree with that though.

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Aqua_lung said:

"Then I heard the LORD say to the other men, "Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity! Kill them all – old and young, girls and women and little children. But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin your task right here at the Temple." So they began by killing the seventy leaders. "Defile the Temple!" the LORD commanded. "Fill its courtyards with the bodies of those you kill! Go!" So they went throughout the city and did as they were told." (Ezekiel 9:5-7 NLT)

Yup sounds like the Gaza war to me... definitely OT inspired.

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DigitalSoldier said:

There are some that would disagree with that though.

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And indeed, We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of Messengers. And We gave jesus, the son of Mary, clear signs and supported him with the Holy Spirit [Gabriel]. Is it that whenever there came to you a Messenger with what you yourselves desired not, you grew arrogant? Some, you disbelieved and some, you killed.

Quran 2:87

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smokey said:

Seriously - I would have thought someone like you, who likes to point out non-thinking individuals would be caught out like this. Just imagine if God started lobbing meoteors, lightning bolts and fireballs all around the Gaza Strip willy-nilly a la Elminster... That would be showing off!

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smokey said:

They are all Abrahamic religions. Which means they all share Abraham as the progenator of the religions. Abraham worshiped one God, not three. The differences are in the way the three religions percieve God. What I said was maybe an over-simplification, but it still stands...

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DigitalSoldier said:

Try googling "Allah the moon god"

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Aqua_lung said:

I get Islamic hate sites and Christian sites, my guess is that it's BS.

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DigitalSoldier said:

Again if you read my post earlier you will see I never said I believe it but there are others that believe its not the same God.

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DigitalSoldier said:

I do understand that but doing some research on the topic some Jewish and Christians folks do not believe that.

Try googling "Allah the moon god"

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DigitalSoldier said:

I do understand that but doing some research on the topic some Jewish and Christians folks do not believe that.

Try googling "Allah the moon god"

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