ZAKA and Tzahal

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asked 2 months ago

Given that the main activity of ZAKA is the collection of all body parts, including blood swabs, etc.,
Something that is essentially halakhic and not something that is required in light of the fact that the main activity of the ZAKA organization is the collection of body parts, including wiping blood and collecting small remains – an activity that originates in Jewish law and is not required in a universal humanitarian sense (since in the rest of the world there is no parallel body, and there is no phenomenon of bodies scattered in the streets; they simply do not take care to collect every particle or drop of blood) –
Can it be said that there is no justification for seeing this activity as a substitute for military service?

This is unlike organizations like MDA or United Rescue, whose purpose is to save lives – a universal human need.
And it is also different from the position of military rabbi, whose necessity is clear to the army in order to guide soldiers on how to act according to Halacha within the framework of service.

Can this halakhic-religious activity, therefore, be seen as “military service,” or does it have no connection to actual military roles such as evacuating casualties or providing an operational response?

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מיכי Staff answered 2 months ago

The reasoning is unrelated to the conclusion. In your opinion, the Military Rabbinate also has no justification because it deals with religious matters that are not related to military function. Beyond that, ZAKA also collects bodies, not just drops of blood. I think they do this in other armies as well, but I haven’t checked. But ZAKA is not a substitute for military service regardless of whether they collect bodies or blood. The Military Rabbinate is supposed to handle this and there is no reason for a civilian body to do it. This is just another way to avoid military service. Incidentally, on October 7th there were serious allegations against ZAKA that it was involved in public relations and was not related to the actual matter (due to lack of professionalism), just to justify its existence (like the power struggles with MDA and the various rescue organizations). I don’t know if this is true, but this is also an aspect that comes up.

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serene3baac7ccac replied 2 months ago

I emphasized that a military rabbinate actually has a justification because the religious soldier needs to know how to behave on Shabbat, etc.,
unlike collecting the remains of bodies, which is some kind of halakhic matter, meaning it is a halakhic activity.
Can a person who puts on tefillin be exempted from service?
After all, he is observing halakha? Of course not.
Can collecting body parts be compared as observing halakha to putting on tefillin and the equivalent side that are not related to military service and helping to save lives?
(Again, unlike a military rabbinate that assists a soldier perhaps as a Barhan formation)
Regarding the collection of bodies themselves, it is possible to consider only this humanitarian action as military service, but that is not the role and specialization of a zakah. They also do it, but that is not their mission.
Anyone can do that.
It is clear to me that this is not the reason they do not enlist.
I am just asking about the very idea, whether a body that comes to observe some kind of halakha can say, hey, this is in place of military service.

מיכי Staff replied 2 months ago

This is just insistence. I answered that. The Rabbinate also provides wine for Shabbat, propaganda talks, and there are also singing groups and the Education Corps, and more. That's it.