Drafting Charedim

Charedim serving in the IDF

The high court has spoken. Israel’s Supreme Court voted unanimously to subject all Charedim to the draft. Same as any other Israel citizen. From the Times of Israel:

The front pages of newspapers serving the ultra-Orthodox community raged Wednesday morning against a landmark High Court ruling the day before that ordered the state to begin drafting thousands of community members into the army immediately.

Leading papers carried quotes that “war was being declared on the ultra-Orthodox community” and its way of life, which sees the study of Torah as a paramount activity.

Yeted Neeman, a mouthpiece for the ultra-Orthodox Degel Hatorah party, carried the headline, “A sword hanging over the study hall.”

The paper reported a quote from Rabbi Dov Landau, a leading figure in the community: “Dear brothers, save us!”

Landau went on to say that Israeli authorities and the court system “hate those who study Torah” and had acted with “anger, wickedness, and malice.”

Hamodia, considered an organ of the Agudath Israel party, declared that the High Court is “shattering the status quo and declaring war on the Torah world.”

It carried a quote from Rabbi Yisroel Hager, leader of the Vizhnitz Hassidic sect, that “Haters of religion are trying to wipe out Torah from Israel.” 

If I understand correctly there are religious Justices on that Court. So this could hardly be seen as an anti religious act. And yet that is exactly how the Charedi leadership characterizes it. 

Short of sitting Shiva, their leadership is beyond upset about this. I don’t know if this will generate a mass protest of unprecedented proportion. But it will not surprise me if it does and it won’t be the first time a protest of this magnitude will happen. Tempers on both sides are flaring. And I would not rule out blood being spilled. God forbid! 

What makes the Charedi leadership’s reaction particularly upsetting is that the mainstream of the Charedi world is not exactly walking in lockstep with their leadership. The best example of that how each sees the value of the IDF soldier. One Charedi leader recently called it a Chilul HaShem to express gratitude to the IDF for their sacrifices since it isn’t the IDF that protects the Jewish people. It’s Torah study.

But the vast majority of the Charedi world understand that the IDF soldiers are being placed in harm’s way. And they have expressed gratitude for that sacrifice. In some cases they have shown appreciation in tangible ways. And it isn’t only the average Charedi that feels that way. Many prominent Charedi rabbinic personalities feel that way too and have said so publicly if a bit apologetically (...due to the deference they pay to the leadership.)

As has often been pointed out the exemption from army service given to full time Torah learners at the birth of the state exempted a few hundred students. Today that exemption includes tens of thousands of able bodied young men.  

There has always been controversy about whether Charedim should be exempt or not. But for the most part Charedim got what they wanted because the IDF had what they needed in terms of manpower. Wrong though it may have been in principle - it wasn’t worth the  upheaval that forcing the issue would have caused. But in theory there is no way that in a Jewish state - an entire (and sizable) segment of the Jewish population should be exempt from army service when the rest of the Jewish population is not. 

Charedi arguments against it include fear of Cahredi recruits becoming secual via the secualr influences of the army. But that was never true because there were plenty of religious Jews that were honored to serve considering it their duty. They remained observant. Some of the most religious among them volunteering for the most dangerous assignments. 

Furthermore the IDF has established a variety of Charedi units that catered specifically to their special needs. So that the chagre that the army dilberaty tries to disabuse Religious Jews of observance no longer holds any water - if it ever did!

Nonetheless the Charedi leadership pressed on and - before the war with Hamas tried to codify army exemption for all students permanently. That bill was wisely tabled after the war began.

After October 7^th reserve IDF soldiers were called up in unprecedented numbers for longer periods of time – disrupting the daily lives of theri failes and just about all Israelis.  Soldiers were killed and wounded in battle. For the first time in a long time there was a shortage of manpower that could have easily been avoided had Charedim been subject to the draft like everyone else.

But they were all exempt. Even though there was a spurt of Charedi enlistment in the army, it hardly covered the shortage. The old argument that the army didn’t need Charedim didn’t wash anymore. They needed them to join the war effort. Their exemption was taking an unfair toll on the soldierand their families. Which is why the Supreme Court voted as it did.

I have long lamented the gross injustice of Charedim getting a blanket exemption form the draft.  It is  completely unfair to let others die for you while you sit in relative safety and comfort comfort in a Beis HaMedrash. The argument that they contribute to the war effort by virtue of their intense and lengthy Torah study every single day and night is not the same thing as putting themselves in harm’s way. 

The argument that they can’t serve because army service forces them to compromise their religious standards no longer holds water. Ever since the establishment of Charedi units. 

Their accusation that the IDF purposely disabuses them of religious observance doesn’t cut it either. Virtually every religious Jews that is not Charedi serves in the IDF. Some of whom are very religious and stay that way after they serve. They consider serving their country a religious obligation. 

(That there are some religious Jews that opt our of observance after IDF service probably means they were not all that committed to Mitzvah observance in the first place; were looking for a way out; and found it in the army.) 

That being said, I am not in favor of drafting every single Charedi. There absolutely should be Divinity exemptions just like there were in the US when they had a mandatory draft.  But Charedim cannot all be exempt either. Who would be eligible for an exemption is a detail that people of good will on both sides can work out. It’s called compromise. Last time I checked - compromise was not a four letter word.

That is what should have happened. And that is what will probably never happen. The Jewish people is a stiff-necked people. That is the bane of our existence and ultimately our downfall.

Had their been a compromise where a quota could have been put in place that would satisfy the needs of the IDF and the needs of the Yeshiva world we could have avoided what is sure to be a massive confrontation. 

What about a grass roots uprising in the Charedi world? A lot of people seem to feel that this will happen - and in fact is already happening. As noted I believe that a lot of (most?)  Charedim would agree that not every single Charedi should be exempt from army service. The problem is that the leadership doesn’t agree - as also noted.

Most Charedim – including many prominent Charedi rabbis – see the facts on the ground, understand the sacrifice of the rest of the Israeli public,  and might even appreciate the kind of solution I suggest. But the leadership will never agree to change their current paradigm as evidenced by their reaction to High court’s decision. No matter how they feel about it, prominent Charedi rabbis will never publicly break ranks with people that are considered Gedolim. They will be considered outliers if they do and no card carrying Charedi will pay attention to them after that. Even though they might agree privately.

Sadly, I don’t see any real paradigm change. That’s just the way thigs work in the Charedi world. That said, I know that there are dedicated wonderful people working hard on that kind of change behind the scenes. I sincerely hope they succeed. and I encourage them to try. (Not that they need my encouragement.)

I’m not holding my breath. But...who knows...