Religious Zionism Candidate's Son Enlists in Elite Kfir Brigade After Yeshiva Studies

Rabbi Shmuel Sasson, ranked seventh on the Religious Zionism party list and a community rabbi in Haifa, announced with pride the enlistment of his son Yaakov into the IDF's Kfir Brigade. After five years of study at the Ramat Gan Yeshiva, Yaakov is set to serve as a combat soldier for a year and a half. Rabbi Sasson described his son's yeshiva years as a significant period of deep religious immersion, noting that Yaakov sometimes felt as if he was under a "Code 8" in the study hall.

Addressing the ongoing debate about the military service of Religious Zionist yeshiva students, Rabbi Sasson expressed that the need to prove their commitment to the army has become unnecessary. He emphasized that all students enlist and fulfill the commandment of a "milchemet mitzvah" (obligatory war), alongside other religious duties such as inheriting the land and loving one's neighbor. For him, enlisting from the yeshiva is not seen as a sacrifice or abandonment of Torah study but rather as a sacred act of divine service.

Rabbi Sasson also downplayed questions about how many students enlist and at what point during their studies, stating that these are secondary to the leadership's direction. He praised the community leaders and rabbis for promoting both Torah study and military service, which he believes strengthens the IDF reserves and the nation spiritually and physically. He concluded by expressing gratitude for this integration of religious commitment and national service.