IDF Chief: Drafting haredim is mitzvah, duty and right

At a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers of the Commando Brigade, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir did not limit himself to words of remembrance. He turned the moment into a clear and binding call: service in the IDF is a mitzvah, and drafting haredim is an operational, moral and existential necessity.

"In wartime, the importance of meaningful military service in the IDF becomes sharper – this is the most exalted of mitzvos – the mitzvah of defending the land, its citizens and our historical heritage," the Chief of Staff told bereaved families and soldiers. "This is a right, a duty and a yoke – which we bear with pride. We must strengthen the value of service in the IDF, expand the ranks, and support the soldiers as heroes of the nation and a model of Zionist excellence."

The words are not entirely new. Zamir has repeated them again and again since taking office. But this evening, at a ceremony for the elite unit that symbolizes more than any other "the farthest, the hardest, the most dangerous," the message took on a different weight. Not a political speech and not a committee debate, but a direct statement, almost Torah-like: service in the IDF is a mitzvah.

Zamir has said before, in meetings with haredi soldiers in the Negev Battalion and the Hashmonaim Brigade, that "expanding the ranks, including drafting the haredi public, is an essential operational necessity" and also "a moral obligation" toward those who have carried the burden for years. This evening he added a deeper layer: not just a need – a mission. Not just a duty – a right and a yoke carried with pride.

The war continues, reservists are worn down, and extending regular service alone is not enough. The Chief of Staff's directive on integrating haredim has already been signed, and the repeated calls continue to be heard. But this evening, at least, the Chief of Staff left no room for doubt: in wartime – this is not just a question of equal burden-sharing. It is a question of survival.

Memorial ceremonies are usually moments of quiet, pain and tribute. Zamir chose to turn this moment into a clear call: so that the fallen did not fall in vain, and so that today's soldiers will not break tomorrow – more hands are needed on the trigger, more shoulders under the yoke.

The message is clear: the soldiers of the Commando Brigade are "heroes of the nation and a model of Zionist excellence." Now there need to be more like them – from all parts of the nation.