The Trauma of War and Drafting Charedim

Charedim protesting the draft and blocking traffic (Matzav)

Mission accomplished. The Charedi yeshiva world successfully averted the arrest of a student for refusing to register for the draft. As noted on Matzav:

“A dramatic confrontation unfolded shortly after midnight on Highway 1 leading to Yerushalayim when police attempted to detain a yeshiva bochur and transfer him to military authorities. The arrest was ultimately prevented after dozens of protesters rushed to the scene and blocked the roadway...

“After a lengthy standoff and a heated demonstration, police reportedly withdrew from the area and released the yeshiva student.”

As disgusting as this protest was, it is unfortunately not surprising coming from the “Jerusalem Faction,” a segment of the Charedi yeshiva world that vehemently opposes any compromise with the Israeli government that does not completely exempt every single Yeshiva student from serving in the IDF in any capacity.

While the Charedi world once had a more moderate faction whose leadership agreed to some form of compromise whereby students would at least register for the draft, it now seems that the mindset of the Jerusalem Faction has taken hold among their current leadership.

And then October 7^th happened.

Israel went to war against its enemies with a determination last seen during the 6 day war. That required maximum participation of its citizen-soldiers. Much of Israel’s military strength comes from reserve officers and soldiers who were called up for extended service as the nation mobilized for war.

That’s when things really started to fall apart.

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The numbers simply do not add up. There are not enough soldiers to fight the enormous enemy bulwark dedicated to Israel’s destruction. A bulwark consisting of Iranian proxies armed and financed by a regime whose 47-year mantra of “Death to Israel” was more than a slogan. It was a declaration of war by proxy against the Jewish state!

Israel has gone to war without a sufficient number of troops that would provide any meaningful respite from the fatigue of war. IDF soldiers have been required to serve extraordinarily long tours of duty. This has taken a severe psychological toll. Many soldiers have lost jobs and suffered family disruptions that may never fully heal. And this doesn’t even begin to address the many who have already sacrificed life and limb in defense of their people. A danger every combat soldier faces daily.

The only realistic way to lessen this burden would be for the only segment of able-bodied young men left that is large enough to do that. But which is currently exempt from sharing that responsibility - Charedi yeshiva students.

Yet the Charedi leadership adamantly rejects any army service at all for their students. Insisting that their dedication to Torah study supersedes any military obligation. Their leaders often argue that it is Torah study that keeps the Jewish people safe, not soldiers fighting Israel’s enemies on multiple fronts. They also maintain that military service would expose students to an environment incompatible with their religious sensitivities and, in some cases violate Halacha.

I understand their reservations. Nor do I question their commitment and dedication to Torah study. On the contrary, I admire it.

But at this moment, I am far more sympathetic to those who are doing the fighting - for what should be obvious reasons.

Unfortunately, those reasons do not seem nearly as obvious to much of the Charedi world. Which is why I was so angered by what I saw yesterday in Mishpacha Magazine.

It appeared in the form of a short paragraph placed between two columns: one by managing editor Shoshana Friedman and an “Open Mic” column by Danny Louis.

The message was that it is appalling that Israel’s police force has been asked to assist the military in locating and arresting Charedi draft evaders. While acknowledging that the draft, the army’s needs, and its character are very complex:

Vey that in a Jewish country, the official organs of law enforcement have been asked to arrest young men who choose to spend their days and nights learning Torah… it it is not overly dramatic to shudder at the repercussions of this initiative at a time when this country so desperately needs spiritual merit.

To say that this statement outraged me would be a gross understatement.

No one who understands the value of Torah study would deny its importance to the very survival of our people. But to insinuate that the spiritual merit provided by those who both study and fight - as do students in Hesder yeshivos - is somehow of lesser value is insulting in the extreme…

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