Gallant at Eli pre-army academy: Students here are proof that one can study Torah and still serve in the IDF

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the Eli premilitary academy earlier today and met with the students to discuss the importance of serving in the IDF and of balancing religious obligations with national service, his office says in a statement.

His visit came amid fierce debate over the military draft exemptions currently enjoyed by members of the ultra-Orthodox community, and after he vowed last month to put an end to the practice.

During his visit, Gallant met with the students and teachers and heard about the graduates of the school who fell amid the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

The students at the religious Zionist academy, he said, are proof that “it is possible to hold a weapon in one hand and a [Jewish study] book in the other.”

Telling the students that Israel will pursue Hamas “everywhere, all over Israel, across the Middle East,” Gallant said he believes that the war against the Gaza terror group is “the end of an era and the beginning of an era — the route we are traveling these days will be the one that leads us for years to come and the way we will live in the Middle East.

“I think that faith and Torah study are one of the most important foundations of the people of Israel, and when I see that it takes place alongside similar excellence on the battlefield, I want to tell you that as the defense minister, I am proud that there are soldiers like you in the IDF,” Gallant added.

“Study and fighting are the two areas that guarantee our future, and in both there is also a mutual guarantee. The ability to continue learning, and on the other hand to be able to defend the State of Israel and what we have, is the proof that without physical existence there is no spiritual existence.”