Deputy Defense Minister Rabbi Eli ben-Dahan (Bayit Yehudi) on Tuesday criticized leaders of the social media campaign to stop government funding to the Bnei David military school in Eli.
Rabbi ben-Dahan referred to a recently published post on the “Yair Nehorai – Closing Mekhinat Eli” Facebook page that has been in operation since the end of March 2018, warning that a “messianic army would be a danger to Israel.”
The specific post referred to by the deputy defense minister called to halt state funding to the pre-army preparatory academy and featured a video with several out of context quotes by Bnei David lecturers, including one by program head Rabbi Eli Sadan saying “the Torah is the constitution of the state.”
“It’s no wonder that those who work every moment to conceal any Jewish trait in the public sphere in Israel are acting against Mekhinat Eli, which has produced generations of IDF officers who are active in values of Judaism and nationalism,” tweeted Rabbi ben-Dahan.
“As I always say – it won’t help you; the more you try to act against – you’ll only get the opposite result!”
By fighting a public battle against Bnei David, which produces Israel’s most exemplary combat officers, those frightened by the notion of a “messianic army” are actually the ones endangering Israel. The institution produces exactly the type of soldiers capable of facing Israel’s many enemies in the region.
There is a culture war being waged in Israeli society between those psychologically living in Jewish history and those psychologically living in the contemporary West. Part of this conflict between a westernized ruling class and a more traditionalist population has spilled over into the army, especially during outgoing Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot’s command.
But even Eizenkot and Israel’s westernized elites should understand that the threats Israel faces from Iran and its proxies cannot be overcome with mere technological superiority. Such antagonists must be met by Israeli soldiers equally driven by a deep ideological power.
The IDF needs commanders and soldiers with an ideological vision, conviction and willingness to sacrifice capable of rivaling that of Israel’s foes. The officers produced by institutions like Bnei David are exactly the IDF’s most valuable assets on the battlefield.
Israel’s elites want the country to be an outpost of Western civilization in the Middle East and it’s understandable that they’re concerned about the nation they feel entitled to rule and shape transforming into a more authentic Jewish state organically at ease in the Semitic region.
But those feeling threatened by Bnei David and its values have a crucial choice to make.
An Israeli military capable of squaring off against enemies like Hezbollah requires the type of fighters bred in schools like Bnei David. Those concerned with Israel’s security should support increased funding to such institutions, as well as the strengthening of its influence on Israel’s army.
