Editorial: Elazar Stern a symbol of treason, evil
Right-wing Shabbat bulletin verbally attacks outgoing IDF Personnel Directorate chief for 'estranging himself from the place he grew up in order to satisfy his masters from the Left'
While in an interview published by Yedioth Ahronoth over the weekend, the religious general says there were times when he was ashamed of the yarmulke on his head in light of certain statements made by rabbis and acts committed by moderate religious Jews, the right-wing bulletin "Erezt Israel Shelanu" ("Our Land of Israel") published a scathing editorial against him under the title "Eternally in disgrace".
The article, distributed in hundreds of Israel's synagogues, summarizes Stern's last years in uniform and his publicized conflicts with the religious public.
The article slams Stern as "the man whose external appearance did not testify to his hollow internality and his dangerous way of thinking… the man who turned into the system's submissive servant, causing irreversible damage."
The article writer rules that "his harassment against the religious public, the settlers and the hesder yeshivas (program which combines advanced Talmudic studies with IDF service) is unforgivable", and welcomes his retirement from the army: "Blessed be God for ridding us of him."
'Damaged yeshivas' status in a repulsive manner'
The editorial notes that the religious general cooperated with the "expulsion plan" all along, personally attacked the rabbis who called on soldiers to refuse orders, and demanded their resignation from the yeshivas as a condition for recognizing them as hesder yeshivas.
"Among the religious public and the hesder yeshiva students, Stern will be remembered as a symbol of evil, treason and estrangement from the place he grew up in, in order to satisfy his masters from the Left," the article said. "He publicly pursued the hesder soldiers, damaging their status in a repulsive manner."
The editorial went on to say that Major-General Stern attempted to harm the Chief Military Rabbinate's status as an independent body in the IDF, and initiated "a quick conversion process for non-Jewish soldiers."
The writer mentions Stern's protest against "the unbearable lightness of submitting depositions in order to be exempt from military service on grounds of religion" – a statement which he claims threatened the status of students of high yeshivas and of religious girls.
His service as commander of the IDF training base was also not forgotten.
"When Stern took office at the officers' school, he cancelled the school rabbi's order to ban the viewing of video films in the rooms on Saturdays… 'I am not here to reduce the desecration of the Shabbat, but to train soldiers to win a war. Whoever wants to can watch videos, and whoever wants to can study Talmud,' Stern told the rabbi, breaching the ban."
Stern is also accused of a hit-and-run accident which allegedly occurred on the eve of the disengagement, while he visited one of the Gush Katif communities.
"The general's driver exceeded the speed limit, and according to the settlers, the driver hit one of them in the leg, ran the car up onto a traffic island and escaped," the bulletin said. "The IDF Spokesperson's Office denied it."
