The suggestion that Orthodox Jews be formed into separate units within the Israel Army in order to enable them to maintain strict religious observance was rejected here by Premier David Ben Gurion.
Addressing the fifth national conference of Poale Agudas Israel, a religious labor group, the Premier said that his first care was the country’s security. He emphasized that in no other army in the world can soldiers maintain ritual observance as freely as in the Israel Army.
Wearing a traditional skullcap, Premier Ben Gurion pledged his support for the eradication in Israel of certain tendencies deprecating the values of religious teachings. He praised the Agudah labor movement for its cooperation with the government and welcomed the proposed merger between the Agudah laborite group and Hapoal Mamizrachi, the Orthodox Zionist labor group.
He predicted that such a consolidation would lead to the incorporation of the united religious labor groups in the Histadrut, Israel’s Federation of Labor, as a separate orthodox division. The convention concluded with a resolution adopted by about 90 percent of the delegates approving the merger and instructing the new executive of the organization to start negotiations with Hapoel Hamizrachi for the purpose of carrying the merger through.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
