Ofer Winter Calls to Equalize Torah Scholars with National Service Workers

Retired Brigadier General Ofer Winter released a video on Monday addressing the issue of military and civilian service in Israel. He criticized the current system for granting rights to those who do not bear service burdens, calling for preferential treatment to be given to those who serve the country, either in the military or national service. Winter argued that the public discourse on this topic is confused and that the entitlement to public sector positions should be linked to service. "There are people who are first to rights and last to duties. It’s reversed," he said, emphasizing that those who have not served should not hold public service roles.

Winter also discussed the status of ultra-Orthodox Torah scholars, acknowledging the importance of Torah study as a foundational element of the Jewish people predating the state of Israel. However, he criticized the blanket classification of all ultra-Orthodox individuals as Torah learners, calling it false. He further criticized ultra-Orthodox political leaders, including Goldknopf and Gafni, for harming the Torah scholar community.

He proposed that Torah scholars who engage in full-time, dedicated study should be recognized as fulfilling a significant role for the state and should be granted status equivalent to national service workers. "I support having Torah scholars, and they should be equal to those serving, at least in national service," Winter stated, advocating for a system that values committed Torah study similarly to national service contributions.