A furor arose in Israel after IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on Wednesday ordered severe and unprecedented disciplinary action against an IDF soldier for wearing a “Moshiach” patch on his combat vest.
Not only was the soldier punished with a 30-day military prison sentence, but his commanders were also severely disciplined. The soldier’s platoon commander was sentenced to a 14-day suspended prison sentence, and the battalion commander received a formal command reprimand that was added to his personal record.
The incident began when Zamir visited a Nachal Brigade company stationed in Sa-Nur in the northern Shomron. During the tour, he noticed the soldier wearing the patch and ordered immediate disciplinary action for violating army regulations prohibiting unauthorized symbols on uniforms.
The harsh disciplinary measures sparked outrage from many religious and right-wing figures, and even from many secular military journalists, who noted that in past similar cases, the IDF simply issued a warning or ordered the symbol removed.
“Sending a combat soldier to prison for a month because of a ‘Moshiach’ patch is insanity,” Ynet military correspondent Yossi Yehoshua wrote.
“For smashing a statue of Jesus while committing three or four criminal offenses and causing a major international crisis—21 days in military detention. Demanding proportional punishment is not defending the act.”
Channel 12 military correspondent Nitzan Shapira summed up his view in one sentence: “My opinion, in short: extreme overreach.”
Veteran military correspondent Menachem Horowitz wrote: “This is certainly a serious disciplinary offense, but Zamir should know that what strengthens quite a few soldiers risking their lives in combat is precisely this patch, so perhaps he could have been less strict, especially these days when the IDF is lacking so many soldiers.”
Likud MK Boaz Bismuth stated: “The decision to punish a soldier for wearing a ‘Moshiach’ patch is severe and outrageous. Only a year ago, Chief of Staff Zamir spoke very differently. He must explain what has changed and whether political or media pressure is being placed on the IDF’s senior command. The army must maintain discipline, but also fairness. Release the soldier now!”
Many Israelis, including religious soldiers and their relatives, view the drastic punishment as an effort by the IDF’s senior command to impose secular-liberal norms while ignoring the religious feelings of soldiers on the front lines. Is religious faith viewed as such a great threat that the price is a month in prison?
Noam chairman Avi Moaz has repeatedly slammed Zamir for calling for Chareidim to enlist, while on the other hand, refusing to accommodate their religious needs and kowtowing to far-left and progressive agendas. Religious Zionist MK Ohad Tal revealed earlier this week that Zamir has been refusing for months to meet with Dati Leumi Rabbanim over this issue of the integration of women into tank units.
It should be noted that this is not the first time that religious soldiers have been handed unprecedented punishments.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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14 Responses
Chutzpah and these army leaders want Chareidim to join an army that hates religious Jews. The Israeli army is a shmad organization. Had a soldier worn a gay flag patch they would not bother him. I remember in Israel being on Ben yehuda street and Chabad Lubavitch told me that a mossiach flag they had out their office window was given a summonse and fine but a half block up hung a gay flag and the inspector refused to give them any summonse. I think every religious soldier should walk off their posts by the tens of thousands until they release this soldier,fire this army head who caused this, and stop the army from putting girls into the tanks with men.
GOOD! People still falsely believe that the IDF is a Jewish Army.
It is not.
Let this 30-day prison sentence be your warning to keep your sons away from the IDF at all costs!
A jail term for failing to comply with uniform regs…yet when a soldier has an affair with her senior officer and then later needs an abortion in secret that’s totally fine apparently.
These patches have been reported in international news and have caused yet more anti-Semitism. The idiots who wear them and who smash religious symbols of other religions have no idea that they are causing Jews in other places to be attacked and killed. Either that or they just don’t care.
Zionism is opposed to Judaism. Always has been. So why is this at all surprising?
To be fair it really depends on the standards of the idf regarding unauthorized outerwear. Is there an absolute prohibition or a relative prohibition? Someone who served in the odd would know but given the responses I bet no one here has served. If the issue is only this patch is punished and no other patches then ok it’s terrible. If there are strict rules about what can be worn and it’s absolutely not allowed well then it’s not really an issue is it? Perhaps they wanted to set an example but if the prohibition is strict then this is not an issue.
Flatbush yid, your hatred of the Zionist State is on full display the day efore Yom Yerushalayim. DON’T FORGET HALLEL TOMMOROW!
Levs, go live in Gaza or Iran with your friends.
DrAnti-Torah your hatred of Torah and Torah-true Jews has no boundaries – DON’T FORGET THE ASSERES HADIBROS ON SHOVUOS!
who knows if sitting in military jail for 30 days rather than on a combat mission won’t save that boy’s life?
Joseph Goebbels,
“Zionism is opposed to Judaism” – you too.
Your close relative was in the SS so you’re not even Jewish!
I guess he is a misnaged
30 days for avodah zarah? sounds reasonable to me. the army lacks the means to deprogram these cult followers.
Roughly speaking the stupidity of the higher ups in the Israel army is flagrant…Zamir is no exception. Talking too much and thinking too little. I realize sometimes what the real miracle of winning with people of this caliber for the army if not for the big chief of chiefs in the sky
Dryidd, so you think girls should be in tanks with men. You must be an open orthodox follower of Avi Weiss. And you think gays and trans should be corrupting young Chareidim in the army. And you think the elite fat cat secular army leaders should keep killing off the religious soldiers as they have been doing in Gaza with their irresponsible orders. I hate the Zionist more and more. There was a time they used to cut open dead Jews by force with autopsies. Any Jew who died the police would snatch his body and cut them up. Satmar got hold of pictures of the bloody Jewish bodies by the dozens and plastered manhattan with these pictures. The prime minister the machshefa Golda Meir came to the Waldorf Astoria and Satmar organized a mass rally. She got hit with eggs. Zionism is worse than missionaries or Nazis. The Nazis only killed Jews physically but the Zionist want to kill the Jews spiritually.