Saidyan Tells Knesset Torah Bill Must Honor Combat Soldiers

IDF veteran Itzik Saidyan told the Knesset House Committee on July 5, during debate on Basic Law: Torah Study, that the state must give supreme value to combat soldiers who went into battle, lost friends, collected bodies and feel forgotten. The Knesset Channel video and Israeli reports identify Saidyan as a PTSD-stricken veteran whose 2021 self-immolation forced a national reckoning on wounded soldiers' care. The coalition bill would declare Torah study a foundational value. Israel should honor Torah learning and yeshiva devotion while writing law that also gives soldiers, wounded veterans and bereaved families the unmistakable recognition they earned.