Rabbis like this are the curse of the modern Jewish nation, both inside and outside of Israel. They make me want to become an atheist.

Once more, Rav Shlomo Aviner express disrespectfull comment. I wonder how he would have react during the War of Independance when non jewish soldiers volunteered in the Mahal? No, sorry, we don't need you... Sad the Rav's knowledge is used in an unwise way....

Don't look at me and others like me in Gush Etzion and think that this guy represents us. He represents himself. I wholly agree with talkbalk #1 - if he's going to say that Jews should fight to protect eretz Yisrael, then he should look at the Jews who do not server, rather than the loyal Druze and Bedouin who do. The Druze and Bedouin are a credit to the IDF, and are exemplary in their performance. They too have sacrificed too many lives, and I personally admire them, honor them, thank them, and respect them for their contribution to this country. As my little one would say, Aviner is a toochis for saying such a thing. He should go to Mea Shearim and shout in on the street corner if he believes it so much.

How dare this 'Rabbi" disgrace the Rambam by issuing this nosnsense It defies logical discussion - it is simply wrong

Rambam??? maybe a jewish warriors, but not called IDF! Also Rabbi, if your followers would enlist instead of sitting in the yeshiva all day, we wouldnt have needed non jews, but as we have and they prove everyday their lovalty and courage, I think you best keep your opinions to yourself, and stop interfering with politics and the millitary.

I think if they want to protect this country, they should be let in. Though, my experience in the army was much different from that. Because I was older I did Shlav Bet, and I was put in basic training with about 60% people who didn't want to be there and about 70% of those people, were olim but somehow weren't Jewish, would walk around wearing crucifixes, and I have no idea why the army lets them swear in with a New Testament. Those people should be identified right away as people who falsified information in making aliyah. They should be fined for all the monetary assistance they received and be deported back wherever they came from. Those are the people that really give the army a bad name. But in regards to the Drusim, particularly with them, I found they are more loyal to the army than some Israeli Jews.

Everyone should have to do National Service of some kind(with the exception of people who, physically or mentally, cannot). Whether you do it in the army or some other state run program, it should be done. I know how some harradim will get drafted upon getting a job because they start paying taxes, but before they were also receiving benefits from other people's taxes. That should be enough for them to go in at that point too. All the other people in this country who don't do service for other reasons other than physical incapibility should be there too.

IDF needs to change its policy and also about non-jewish (sometimes anti-semites) russians in the army too. Of course Jewish russians are more than welcome !

Stupid statement by Rabbi Aviner. Just because of a few non Jewish misdemeanors they should not be all tared with the same bruch. I suppose he says the same about Christians serving in the IDF who are as good as the very best

just to show how sick this man really is: Q: What should I do with a Book of Tehillim that I received from the Friendship Fellowship of Christians and Jews? A: Throw it in the garbage. What a sick puppy.

the "warm" relations between Suniis and Shiis r the anvy of nation, giggle mmm nop peace among the muslims.

What we really ahev to do is not to Keep non-Jews out of IDF but to keep orthadox rabbis out of the IDF and government, lock the pervers racist hateful parasite dinasors in a yeshiva and keep them there and out of the way, they are not Jews but a product of Jewish enslavement and do not belong in a modern socitity

There are a growing number of jews who are dodging the draft but there is nothing like as many druze try and get out of military service. There are some druze I would rather fight alongside than jews. The IDF should be a mainly jewish army yes but if your not jewish but your loyal then they belong just as much as a jew.

Anonymous coward.

Rabbi avner spouts utter rubbish even if it comes from maimonides.In fact, individual assessments are important and most druze have shown themselves loyal to the state of israel. And they are important as are the converts of ethiopia, and christian converts of spouses of jews. Its is also another way of expanding the jewish population. I don't care what torah or rabbi yosef says. In this case avner is dead wrong.Druse and some bedouin do important work for the state and I apreciate it and I say so. So far as the ultrareligious are concerned, torah study is not enough. All of them should get the hell into the army and now. Quit with the torah nonsense as an excuse.Get your asses into the idf now and that includes all the rabbis including avner.

It is obvious why no other paper carries the rabbi's statements; they are too embarrassed to print his stupidity. It seems to me that the Rambam was not amongst the living when the state was reborn. Ergo, any utterances re the IDF were not his, merely the imagination of Rabbi Aviner. David, you must admit the good rabbi does keep to the schedule.

Avner wants only jews to serve in the idf, no non-jews even if they are brave druse and beduoin trackers and some christian arabs.Okay fine. Olmert is 100% JEWISH. He had his bar mitzvah, there are no convert issues in his family. This is who you want to fight for the state in the idf?.Well, avner, olmert got out of combat service exaggerating some prior injury. He knows nothing about military matters, a fish out of water and his record in lebanon proved that he was blind. His sons, one dodged service altogether and ran to france, the other (who did serve)protested idf service in judea and ran to america. This is who you want defending the state, you idiot.Ther would be no state if olmert represented the idf. Actually Olmert represents you, a non serving gutless coward. All of your torah students and haredi have to get the hell into the army now including all the rabbis you included, and do your duty. No bullcrap, don't pull any olmert garbage. It is possible to be a loyal israel and not be jewish. By the way, there is some evidence that most of palestinians derive from jews in roman times who were then converted to islam. They should be found out. In the meantime, take your halachic interpretatioins and shove it.

yes, that's right go and read in the Bible both King David and Shlomo had soldiers and commanders who weren't Jewish. Doesn't seem to have been a problem with that I do believe this rabbi is a rascist!

The rabbi's controversial and personal INTERPRETATION of a vague statement by Maimonides is not helpful to anybody. It is disrespectful of the very STRONG connection that the Druzim have demonstrated to the State of Israel, a connection that they have demonstrated again and again not only with cheap words (as do many Haredim) but with their own lives and the lives of their sons. The Druzim well deserve everyone's full support.

If we get rid of all the non Jews according to the Orthodox Rabbis, all we have left are the Orthodox Jews who don't serve in the army(with some exceptions of course).

Who decides who is a Jew? By his definition probaly only that do not serve in the army are Jews. He shows himself to be a fool when national security is involved. Even if all Jews, including the ultras, serve in the military it would be racist and non democratic to exclude non-Jews. More and more the need to seperate rligion from politcs becomes important.

The good rabbi went off his rocker with this one. The Druze have the status of "ger toshav" and should be fully welcomed in the army and every other part of Israeli society. They are more contributing to Israeli society than any other minority sector. May God bless them. Ari Enkin

I am sorry I insulted the good Rabbi.However,Rabbi Aviner should consider the feelings of tens of thousands of non-jews who serve proudly in the I.D.F.

but i will not obey it ..........

I have met many who serve and, To the many who serve of true Jewish ancestry yet not halachally Jewish for the Rabbis this is not revelant. I have met gentiles now Jews of only one Jewish grandparent (the revelant one) with no strong conection to Israel and yet Jews now gentiles with over 80% true Jewish ancestry ( but lacking the revelant ONE materal connections) with strong Jewish idenity. Is it fair? We all know halacha and it is as it is answer but in practice it is not modern or relevant. Add to that the many halachally Jews who care not for orthodoxy or relgion. Add to this the extreme prejudice orthodoxy has over other Jews who do not agree with it. Conversion is not possible at all unless you lie , which anyone of principle will not do (for those who prefer to live as secular Jews which in orthodoxy is non existant) That Israel also brings in obsure tribes with questionalbe Jewish links and so easily calls them Jewish when those of true Jewish ancestry are shut out because they do not toe the line, is also unfair. But that is Halacha for you, it only seeks orthodox Jews according to their own tribe. . In the end we shall lose out. I do not say the the IDF should not be a Jewish army, it should.The Rabbi is true to his orthodoxy. Their is the old debate of whether Jewishness is an ethnicity or just a relgion, for the Rabbi religion it must be but this views opens lots of wounds. Who then is a Jew? one who is relgious? What of our legacy to this land? How can be claim it if our ethnic roots are diverse and it is only relgion that binds us? Our ancestors claim to fame is not ours? You can no longer be Jewish and secular, there is no such thing as a Jewish atheist? If we are a people at all in the modern sense of the word? Indigenous to this land? Age old questions that are never really answered.

I doubt seriously that the rabbi even served in the IDF. Few of these "religious" rabbis ever did. Not only that, he insulted all of the Druze soldiers who give their lives and have often died serving the State since its inception. He forgets to mention Moshe ("Chico") Tamir who did the same thing as Fares did but stayed in the IDF at a lower rank. When all of the rabbis--including IDF Rabbi Ronski--finish insulting all of the gay and female soldiers who give their best for the protection of the state shut up and quit misquoting scholars such as Maimonides, then all will be well in the army and in Israeli society. Furthermore, there was no IDF when Rambam was alive. To ascribe things to him he could not have possibly envisioned or said is historical revisionism no different than when morons claim that 6 million Jews didn't die in the Holocaust.