Israel severs link between religious school and IDF

The Jewish Chronicle: “Defence Minister Ehud Barak’s decision to end the Har Bracha yeshivah’s hesder arrangement — which allows 18-year-olds to combine Torah studies with army service — has sent reverberations through the IDF and the network of yeshivahs which have, for decades, enjoyed close relations with the military. ‘This isn’t about just one yeshivah,’ said a senior rabbi this week. ‘This is a battle for the soul of the next generation of the national-religious community.’”