Feiglin Seeks Defense Minister Role, Proposes Radical Draft and Voucher Reforms
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Moshe Feiglin, chairman of the Zehut party, announced his intention to seek the Defense Minister position and presented a plan for Haredi conscription, involving one month of training within yeshivas. He also proposed a voucher system for Haredi education and a taxpayer-directed funding model for religious institutions. Feiglin believes his proposals will enhance national security and resolve contentious issues between the Haredi community and the state.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Moshe Feiglin seeks Defense Minister role, proposing one month of military training for yeshiva students.
- Feiglin's draft plan includes training within yeshivas under strict religious conditions.
- He advocates for a professional, volunteer-based IDF and reinstatement of reservists.
- A voucher system for Haredi education is proposed, providing 3,000 shekels per student monthly.
- Taxpayers could direct a portion of their Arnona tax towards religious institutions.
- Feiglin calls for direct community election of rabbis, separating religion from political deals.
Moshe Feiglin, chairman of the Zehut party and former Knesset member, has declared his ambition to serve as Israel's Defense Minister, presenting a unique vision for national service and societal reforms in an interview with Kikar HaShabbat. Running in a technical bloc with Bezalel Smotrich, Feiglin believes his return to politics offers a distinct message for the Haredi public and Torah scholars, proposing innovative solutions to contentious issues between the Haredi community and the state.
Central to Feiglin's proposal is a radical overhaul of the Haredi draft issue. He rejects the current political exploitation of the topic, stating his party aims to resolve it in a manner that satisfies the Haredi community and military professionals. His plan mandates a single month of military training for all yeshiva students, to be conducted within the yeshiva premises during the " Bein HaZmanim" (intermediate holiday) period in the month of Av. This training would adhere to strict religious standards, including no female presence and under close spiritual supervision and kashrut. Feiglin claims this model, reportedly approved by General Yitzhak Brick, would allow for the mobilization of 1.5 million civilians and enhance national security. He also advocates for a professional, volunteer-based IDF, with full-time service offering competitive salaries from day one, and calls for the reinstatement of tens of thousands of reservists released in recent years.
Feiglin also outlined economic and educational reforms. To address funding for Torah institutions, he proposes a Lakewood-inspired model that removes state budgeting and allows taxpayers to direct a portion of their municipal property tax (Arnona) towards their preferred cultural or ideological institutions, such as Torah study centers or university gender studies departments. He is confident that "most of the people of Israel will prefer to choose Judaism." In education, Feiglin opposes government coercion regarding core curriculum studies for Haredi children, supporting a voucher system of approximately 3,000 shekels per month per student. Parents would receive these vouchers to use at any educational institution of their choice, with the state only verifying basic skills for future employability.
Furthermore, Feiglin called for separating religion from politics within the Chief Rabbinate, advocating for direct election of rabbis by their communities rather than by political deals in the Knesset. He concluded by asserting that the state belongs to the Haredim "no less than it belongs to any other sector."
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