A Week Before His Tragic Death: Hundreds of Haredim Enlisted in Rabbi Yaakov Farber's Track

In the last enlistment day about a week and a half ago, 230 Haredim enlisted in dedicated IDF tracks amid tensions in Haredi society and the struggle over equal burden. The enlistment included recruits for the "Ma'alot Tzur" and "Kodkod" tracks, with protests outside the recruitment offices. Rabbi Yaakov Farber, a founder of the "Ma'alot Tzur" track, passed away at age 32.

On the last enlistment day about a week and a half ago, 230 Haredim enlisted in tracks designated for the Haredi public in the IDF, as reported to "Hayom". The enlistment took place amid growing tensions in Haredi society and the struggle over the issue of equal burden, and included recruits for the "Ma'alot Tzur" and "Kodkod" tracks, two of the most sought-after tracks among Haredi youth seeking to enlist while fully maintaining their lifestyle. During the enlistment day, protests were held outside the recruitment offices, where demonstrators tried to convince candidates not to enlist, but despite the protests and pressures, the number of recruits remained high at 230. The social price paid by these trailblazers received a painful reminder this week with the passing at age 32 of Rabbi Yaakov Farber, a founder of the "Ma'alot Tzur" track, who worked for years to promote the integration of Haredim in the IDF. After his death, "Hayom" published documentation of food distribution in synagogues, purchased and dedicated by Haredi elements to celebrate his death – evidence of the intensity of the flames surrounding the activity to promote enlistment. This very dynamic will be confronted today by the Supreme Court, which will discuss petitions against the interim order freezing arrests of draft dodgers.