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| Charedim at the draft office - illustrative (Arutz Sheva) |
The toll on family life and parnassa is incalculable. Many
soldiers have lost their jobs or businesses, which could not be sustained
without them during the long periods of IDF service required due to a lack of
manpower.
As time passes and things do not return to the pre-war
situation of relative normalcy, it will only get worse if there is no relief in
sight.
The most obvious pool of available citizen soldiers that
could significantly lighten the load for the rest of the country—the
Charedim—are not yet sufficiently involved to make a dent in this desperate
situation. Tours of duty have not been reduced, as the IDF stands ready to
resume its attack on Iran at a moment’s notice, while at the same time
confronting Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy “banging on Israel’s northern door.”
There has been a real effort by the IDF to attract Charedim
of their own free will. Some have signed on. But as indicated - not nearly
enough to make a meaningful difference. The IDF continues trying to find ways
to entice them by offering to meet their religious needs. The need is so great
that the idea of any ulterior motive—to undermine Charedi religious observance
- is far from their intent, if it ever truly was.
I do not believe there is a single person with an ounce of
fairness who cares about the welfare of the Jewish state and the Jewish people
who doesn’t understand this need. Even Charedim in the deeper recesses of their
mind. And yet those who so stridently refuse to join seem to blind themselves
to this reality and insist that joining the IDF is tantamount to selling one’s
soul to the devil.
They must realize that people are dying so that they can
live. Yet they do not seem to see the injustice of their own exemption. They
view it as an inviolable religious right. That they get to live while others
may die appears beside the point. That the rest of Israeli society resents them
for this approach and continues to suffer the consequences of war while
Charedim go about their daily lives as though nothing is happening - either
does not occur to them, or they simply do not care about Chilonim (secular
Jews), since they are not Bnei Torah anyway.
I cannot begin to express how much it pains me to make these observations, since I otherwise greatly respect the sacrifices they make for the sake of learning Torah l’shma. And yet…
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