An Empty Threat or a Foolish One.

MK Yaakov Asher of United Torah Judaism (Matzav)

The IDF has just called up tens of thousands of reservists for at least a three-and-a-half-month period, as part of its goal of returning to a ground war in Gaza. The purpose is to reoccupy it indefinitely. I’m not here to debate the wisdom of this initiative, other than to say that I support Israel’s ultimate goals of freeing the hostages and ending Hamas’s ability to harm another Jew. If reoccupying Gaza is the way to achieve that, I support it.

But my concern here is the toll this is taking on the citizen soldiers who have already sacrificed so much blood and toil fighting Israel’s mortal enemies over the last year and a half. And I’m not even talking about the death and permanent injuries so many of them have suffered.

I’m talking about the mental damage being done to them — the rise in PTSD cases, the loss of businesses, careers, and jobs due to long absences and neglect. I’m talking about the daily worry of their families — not knowing whether their husbands, fathers, and sons will come back alive, or in one piece. I can’t begin to imagine the psychological toll this war has taken on the majority of Israeli citizens.

Yesterday, I heard one knowledgeable Israeli pundit say that there is currently a 25% no-show rate among reservists who have been recalled. It’s hard to blame any of them, given how much they’ve already sacrificed in the ways I just mentioned.

None of this is new. But I mention it again in light of the Charedi intransigence when it comes to military service. Yes, there has been a trickle of Charedim with a conscience who have enlisted since the war began. But it is minuscule compared to the number that should be serving. Their service could alleviate the burden on reservists who have already done more than their share and are now at the end of their psychological rope. Many simply cannot handle another three and a half months of this.

Meanwhile, the Charedi world seems almost oblivious to what’s going on. Life continues as though nothing is happening. One wouldn’t know there was a war going on by walking through Charedi towns. Yeshivos are full. Stores are open. People are going to malls, shopping, taking picnics — enjoying life, seemingly unaware of the carnage their brothers and sisters face daily, which will only intensify in the coming weeks.

The contrast between the Charedim and the rest of Israeli society could not be more stark. The injustice of this arrangement should be obvious to anyone with a conscience. Yet the Charedi world is taught to believe that this is the most just way for them to live — that serving in the IDF is wrong for two reasons: one, because it endangers their spirituality, and two, because it interrupts their Torah study.

That there are religious students — like those in Hesder Yeshivos — who serve in the IDF and refute both contentions is lost on them. Their leaders insist that a stint in the army will damage their halachic observance and remove them from the Beis HaMedrash.

Charedi politicians now carry significant weight as part of Israel’s governing coalition, which is likely why they continue to secure this unholy exemption for their students. But this morning, I saw the following on Matzav:

“In a strong statement, MK Yaakov Asher of United Torah Judaism (UTJ), who also serves as Chairman of the Knesset’s Interior Committee, issued a clear ultimatum: If the Israeli government fails to pass the new draft law regulating the status of yeshiva students by the middle of the upcoming summer Knesset session, his party will face a serious dilemma about continuing in the coalition.

'If this law doesn’t pass in this session, by the middle of the summer term, we will have a very serious problem remaining in such a government, period,’ MK Asher said. ‘This is not just my personal view. It goes beyond that. We cannot be part of a government that criminalizes bnei Torah and fails to properly regulate their status.'”

I ‘love’ how MK Asher phrased that. He claims that Israel’s effort to draft Charedim — including sanctions for those who fail to register — is criminalizing Bnei Torah. That’s not what is happening. The government is criminalizing breaking the law. That’s what happens when a citizen fails to follow the law requiring all Israelis to register for the draft.

But that’s almost beside the point. What’s amazing to me is how empty his threat is — unless he’s a bigger fool than I thought. If this government falls because the religious parties bolt - and new elections are held, it’s likely the Charedi parties won’t be needed to form the next coalition. With a war raging and Charedim refusing to serve, they are increasingly unpopular with the broader Israeli public.

They risk losing the political leverage they currently hold. Any hope of securing permanent exemptions could be completely dashed. They might also lose any government funding and privileges they currently enjoy. By continuing to shirk the burden, they are increasingly being viewed as the burden.

If his threat is not empty, and they follow through, that very scenario will likely unfold — and whatever power they now have will vanish.

To be clear: I don’t want to see Charedim harmed. They are a valuable asset to the spiritual welfare of the Jewish people. Torah study is central to our identity, and very few communities do it with as much dedication. What I want to see is a new leadership — one that is sensitive to Israel’s needs, aware of the sacrifices being made by the majority of its people, and willing - not only to allow but to encourage IDF service for some of their youth. It has been estimated that there are enough Charedim who do not actually study in yeshiva (though on paper they are listed as such) who could easily serve and help fill the needs of a battle-fatigued IDF.

The current leadership is intransigent. I am not one to disparage rabbinic elders whose Torah knowledge is vast. They are certainly entitled to their opinions, and the reverence the Charedi world holds for them means their views on these matters are final. But I am also convinced that as knowledgeable and wise as they may be, they are still human — and they can be wrong. Many rabbinic leaders in the Religious Zionist movement would say the same.

My hope is that new Charedi leadership will arise — leaders who understand what is at stake, who can see beyond narrow dogma, and who can help bridge the divide between Torah study and national responsibility.