
 
 
Defense  Minister Ehud Barak announced Sunday night he is throwing out the Har Bracha  yeshiva, headed by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, from the Hesder yeshiva program. Barak  charged the rabbi with “undermining democratic principles” and “inciting”  students to refuse IDF orders to expel Jews from their homes.
The Hesder  yeshiva program allows young men to service in the IDF for up to two years,  instead of the usual three, and to learn at yeshiva for at least three years.  The organization of the Hesder yeshivas has not commented on the historic  decision by the Defense Minister, who also is chairman of the Labor  party.
Picture: Rabbi Melamed   The  Defense Minister said that the IDF should be kept out of political arguments,  exactly the same claim made by many leading national religious rabbis concerning  the decision by Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi to use soldiers to  help expel Jews from their homes. Police normally undertook the expulsions until  the massive forced evacuation of Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria four years  ago.
Defense Minister Barak said he decided to ban Rabbi Melamed’s  yeshiva from the Hesder program after consulting with IDF Chief of Staff  Ashkenazi. Barak's spokesmen said he also spoke with other rabbis of Hesder  yeshivas.
The organization of Hesder yeshivas said they made it clear  last week to Defense Minister Barak that they opposed excluding Har Bracha from  the Hesder program.
Barak said the order will not go into effect  immediately in order to allow Har Bracha students to join another Hesder  yeshiva.
Former High Court Justice Yaakov Turkel said on Voice of Israel  government radio Sunday night said that Barak is wrong in punishing yeshiva  students for the rabbi’s statements