A Role Model for Charedi Youth

Nechemia (Chemi) Trachtenberg (YWN)

I know I keep repeating myself. But it is so frustrating to constantly see the kind of thing that happened yesterday in Israel. Thousands of Charedim glommed onto each other at the funeral of R’ Dovid Soloveitchik. Despite the fact that Israel is now in the throes of the biggest COVID infection rate by far since the beginning of the pandemic. The largest proportion of which are Charedim. I know I’ve said this before but I just don’t get it. I really don’t. 

Charedim are of course not the only ones that seem to be in denial. But whatever happened to the thoughtful intelligence we are supposed to possess? Are we - the Jewish people - no better than the mindless partygoers and concert attendees outside our own community that have been doing virtually the same kind of thing? It seems we are not. 

I need a break from all the doom and gloom. So I am going to focus on something a bit more positive today. The story of an amazing 19 year old reported in YWN a few days ago: 

19-year-old Nechemia (Chemi) Trachtenberg, who until last year lived in Yerushalayim, has been actively vaccinating people in the capital city for the past two months. As part of his work with Kuppat Cholim (HMO) Meuchedet, located on Chaggai Street, Chemi spends his days vaccinating people, and vaccinates between 200-300 people per day. During his free time, Chemi is a volunteer with United Hatzalah and responds to medical emergencies in his neighborhood.

He is not alone. There are  apparently 500 other volunteers like him - vaccinating as many people as they can as quickly as they can. 

There is a lot to be proud of here. Not only can we be proud of this young man. We can be proud of the Jewish state  for its vaccination program. Israel has risen to the head of the pack. Not long ago they were reported to be leading the world in the vaccinating their public. Israel had a much broader vaccination protocol with an efficiency that enabled them to vaccinate a lot more people per capita faster than other countries.

Anyone that says that Charedim are all monolithic… that all they do is study Torah all day - have never met Nechemia. 

That said, I wish that there were a lot more like him. I don’t know about his colleagues But Nechemia is different than most Charedi youth. So different in fact that I’m surprised he is referred to as Charedi. Because there is something else he will be doing that makes him very different than the average Charedi teenager: 

In two months’ time, Trachtenberg is set to enlist in the IDF…

Would that he were not the exception.  If that were the case I believe that Charedim would no longer be looked upon with disdain by Israelis who do serve. They might even be looked upon with admiration. By serving one’s country while not sacrificing ones religious principles it might convince more than a few people to examine what being observant is all about, instead of alienating them by dodging the draft. 

If only Charedi youth would be allowed to follow their own God given strengths and talents instead of being straight-jacketed into a cookie cutter mold, what a changed world for the better we would be living in. Those whose strengths and talents lie in full time Torah study would choose that as the mission in life. And qualify for a full military exemption. The rest (which likely comprises the vast majority of Charedi youth) would fulfill their military obligations and then find their true calling. 

This is not to say that they should leave full time Torah study immediately after high school. But it does mean that after a 2 or 3 years of full time Torah study, they would enlist, serve, and then follow their talents and ambition in order to serve God in the way best suited for them. All while being Koveah Itim -  reserving time daily for Torah study.

But like I said it is wishful thinking on my part. The sad reality is that Nechemia is not only the exception that proves the rule, he might even be looked at as a radical in that world - ‘stripped’ of his Charedi credentials. But at least the Charedi website, YWN didn’t paint him that way. Baby steps.