Israeli Housing and Construction Minister Yitzchok Goldknopf stated on Tuesday that he planned to take part in the Memorial Day service at the military cemetery in Kiryat Gat, brushing aside objections from mourning families in the city who expressed discomfort over a chareidi figure attending the event.
A group of bereaved relatives sent a letter to Goldknopf, pleading with him not to appear. “We, several bereaved families from Kiryat Gat, ask you in every way possible not to attend the Memorial Day ceremony for IDF fallen soldiers in Kiryat Gat,” the letter read.
The families went on to say, “We believe that someone representing groups in Israeli society who refuse to bear the burden of military service cannot stand before bereaved parents and speak on a day that is so sacred to us.”
Goldknopf, who leads the chareidi United Torah Judaism party, has been a vocal opponent of drafting chareidi men into the army.
In their letter, the grieving families said they would rather see Goldknopf spend his time “recruiting yeshiva students” than addressing them at the cemetery.
Sources close to Goldknopf told Channel 12 News that “no negotiations are underway to replace him” and confirmed that he was determined to attend the ceremony.
This wasn’t the first time Goldknopf had been assigned to the Kiryat Gat event. He had been designated to attend last year as well, and after similar backlash from families, he ultimately chose to withdraw.
One of the signatories, Chaim Saadon — whose brother Avner died in service in 1974 — urged Goldknopf to step aside this year and allow another official to participate in his place.
“As a bereaved family, we feel that there is a moral and ethical offense to our feelings here,” said Saadon to Channel 12. “As soon as everyone enlists in the army, I’ll leave him be, but it cannot stand that someone who doesn’t enlist in the army should come and speak at the Memorial Day ceremony.”
The IDF has reported a significant personnel shortage, stating that it needs around 12,000 additional troops, including roughly 7,000 for combat roles.
At present, nearly 70,000 chareidi men aged 18 to 24 are technically eligible for conscription but have not joined the military.
On Sunday, the High Court of Justice issued an interim ruling requiring the state to clarify why it had not issued a sufficient number of draft notices to chareidi yeshiva students to fulfill the army’s needs, and why it had failed to implement the notices that had been issued. The court gave the government until June 24 to submit a written explanation addressing those failures.
{Matzav.com Israel}