In a home-circle event Monday evening, former IDF Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter aligned with the so-called 'draft-dodging law,' arguing that a yeshiva student studying from morning to night should be valued at least as much as an IDF soldier or national service volunteer. The statement reopens a divisive debate over equal burden-sharing as the Knesset advances legislation equating Torah study with military service.
Former IDF Brigadier General Ofer Winter, a controversial figure known for his religious-nationalist activism, addressed a home-circle event Sunday evening in which he expressed support for the proposed legislation equating Torah study with military service. Winter argued that a yeshiva student who studies "from morning to night" should be valued "at least as much as" someone who performs national service.
The remarks come amid a broader political debate over the so-called 'Basic Law: Torah Study' — a quasi-constitutional bill that would grant equal legal rights to Torah learners and IDF servicemembers. As The Zioneer has reported (June 8–16), the bill has advanced through preliminary Knesset stages, drawing sharp criticism from secular and reservist groups as well as from Religious Zionism party figures, who demanded that no comparison be drawn between draft avoiders and soldiers.
Winter's statement, delivered at an unofficial event, aligns him with the coalition's position on the bill. The remark was first reported by journalist Daniel Amram. No official response from the IDF or the Defense Ministry has been reported, and Winter was speaking as a private individual, not in a military capacity. The exact wording of the bill remains under legislative negotiation.
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