HOLOCAUST COMPARISON SPARKS UPROAR: Belzer UTJ Candidate Apologizes for Remarks on Yeshiva Draft Crisis, Praises Gadi Eisenkot

HOLOCAUST COMPARISON SPARKS UPROAR: Belzer UTJ Candidate Apologizes for Remarks on Yeshiva Draft Crisis, Praises Gadi Eisenkot

Elyakim Stark, the newly announced United Torah Judaism candidate representing Belz chassidus, apologized Monday for controversial remarks in which he compared the difficulties currently facing chareidim in Eretz Yisroel over the military draft to the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust. In an interview with i24NEWS, Stark acknowledged that his comparison had been inappropriate, explaining that he had intended the comments sarcastically but understood why they had generated widespread criticism. “Anyone who saw the full context understood that I said it sarcastically and ironically, but I have learned from this. I am not ashamed to say that I made a mistake,” Stark said. During the same interview, Stark also drew attention for his surprisingly favorable comments about former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, indicating that United Torah Judaism could potentially cooperate with him following the upcoming Knesset elections. “Eisenkot has many accomplishments to his credit. He is someone we can work with, someone who knows how to deliver solutions,” Stark said. Stark further revealed that Eisenkot had effectively given his party a “blank sheet of paper” regarding the contentious military draft issue, suggesting that there could be room for negotiations over an arrangement addressing the status of yeshiva bochurim and avreichim. The controversy began following remarks Stark delivered at an election gathering organized by the chassidishe campaign headquarters in Beit Shemesh. Addressing the ongoing battle over the draft law and the restrictions being imposed on yeshiva bochurim who have not reported for military service, Stark described the difficulties that families are experiencing, particularly when attempting to arrange shidduchim involving prospective spouses living overseas. Among the measures affecting those classified by the military as draft evaders are restrictions on leaving Eretz Yisroel, which have complicated travel for bochurim and avreichim. “When people want to arrange a shidduch with someone from overseas, they have to come here because they cannot leave,” Stark told the gathering. He then invoked the Holocaust, explaining that he had previously made a personal commitment to refrain from discussing Holocaust stories during the early years, before drawing a comparison between those historical experiences and the current circumstances of the chareidi community. “I took it upon myself not to speak about Holocaust stories in the early years, but I find myself feeling that our situation is close to what happened during the Holocaust, and there is no other way to describe it. Our situation reminds me of the stories our grandparents told us about the Holocaust,” Stark said. Those comments quickly sparked controversy, with the comparison drawing criticism because of the enormous difference between the systematic murder of European Jewry during the Holocaust and the current dispute over military conscription. In his subsequent interview, Stark sought to clarify that he had not intended a literal comparison and conceded that his choice of words had been mistaken. His remarks come as United Torah Judaism and the broader chareidi political leadership confront difficult questions ahead of the elections, with the draft crisis remaining one of the central issues affecting the community. The possibility of cooperation with Eisenkot is particularly noteworthy given the continuing uncertainty surrounding the composition of the next government and the ability of chareidi representatives to secure legislation protecting the status of bnei yeshiva. {Matzav.com}