IDF veteran who self-immolated begs Knesset: Prioritize combat soldiers, not Torah study

Itzik Saidyan, an Israeli Defense Forces veteran who set himself on fire in 2021, delivered a passionate plea to a Knesset committee, demanding that combat soldiers receive supreme priority over Torah study. His address came as the committee debated a controversial Basic Law that would exempt ultra-Orthodox men from military service.

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With all due respect to the value of Torah and military service, the correction that is most needed here is to give supreme value to those who went into battle, those who sacrificed their lives, who were willing to die.

Saidyan, who suffered severe injuries from his self-immolation, spoke from personal experience about the profound sacrifices made by those who serve on the front lines. He described soldiers witnessing friends die, collecting bodies, and enduring immense trauma, emphasizing that their willingness to fight and die for the state should be paramount. "There are people who, in practice, are perhaps 10 percent [of the population] according to the data, who go into battle," Saidyan stated, contrasting them with those who study Torah.

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There are people who, in practice, are perhaps 10 percent [of the population] according to the data, who go into battle. They lost friends right before their eyes. They collected bodies. They sacrificed everything – everything – not in theory, in the line of fire.

The proposed Basic Law, which passed its first Knesset reading, seeks to shield approximately 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men, aged 18-24, from military conscription and its consequences. This comes despite a persistent shortage of personnel within the IDF. Saidyan argued that while Torah study has value, the immediate and pressing need is to recognize and support the fighters who have been injured, lost limbs, or experienced deep psychological wounds, and who feel forgotten by the state.

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And you bring the Torah here, there’s no problem… but the first thing, the very first priority is the fighters, the ones who go into battle… those who were in the line of fire, who were injured… who lost part of their body and soul… who feel that the state has forgotten them.

Saidyan's 2021 act of self-immolation brought national attention to the struggles of IDF veterans dealing with PTSD and the challenges in receiving adequate care from the Defense Ministry's Rehabilitation Department. The ministry has warned of potential collapse due to a growing number of casualties, with around 26,200 wounded soldiers and security personnel seeking treatment.

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They need to feel every day when they wake up in the morning that the state appreciates and recognizes them.