Rav Shimshon Klein has been appointed as the new rav of the air force�s Shachar program, replacing Rav Moshe Ravaad who stepped down shortly before completing his term in office.� The rav will be raised to the rank of major. Rabbi Klein is a son-in-law to Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger.
Chareidi rabbonim commenting on the appointment question why a graduate of a hesder program is appointed as the mora d�asra of a program that is tailor made for chareidim, explaining while the rav is known as a person of integrity and potential, it simply does not make sense to appoint a dati leumi rav to oversee the needs and daily lives of a chareidi tzibur.
IDF officials are critical because the announcement speaks of the �haktara� of the rav in a ceremony, explaining �in the IDF we do not have a �haktara� but we have �appointments�.
(YWN � Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
Considering that the primary function of a “rabbi” in the Israeli army is to “protect” the soldiers from the hiloni leadership, appointing someone sympathethetic from a dati leumi background might be quite rational, especially in the uber-secular air force, since he’ll be a more effective protector.