If They Build It, Charedim Will Come

Charedim in the Chashmonaim brigade ( TOI - Chaim Goldberg)

In yet another unsurprising development in the ongoing ‘war’  between Charedi leaders and just about everyone else in Israel, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch has withdrawn his support for a Knesset bill that would have enabled (with their approval) the IDF to draft Charedim who were not studying Torah full-time.

As has been widely reported, that support was not sincere in any case. A recording of a private conversation revealed Rav Hirsch admitting that the bill was a sham and that not a single Charedi would end up serving.

That had drawn the ire of respected talmidei chachamim in the Religious Zionist camp, such as Rav David Stav. Religious Zionists serve with distinction and honor, risking life and limb in the process. Unlike Charedim, they see military service as a requirement of Torah law.

Now it appears that Charedi leaders will not even support the bill they would not have honored in the first place.

What is most galling about their rhetoric is how they describe their opponents. Mincing no words in portraying them as evil. Do they actually believe what they say? The following excerpt from a message delivered in Hebrew by Rav Dov Landau (which is typical of their attitude) stood out:

“To those evildoers and schemers of wickedness who seek to break our spirit and steal the treasure of our world, we say clearly: do not delude yourselves that you will succeed.

Unlike you, we are people of noble spirit. Our hands do no evil, and we have no desire to use the tools of your malice. Yet know this: your opposition to lomdei haTorah is a war against the eternal Klal Yisrael.

History is full of those who sought to remove Torah from Yisrael. They perished, their names forgotten, their power vanished like a fleeting shadow. But the Torah endures forever.”

It may be the case that some of their opponents fit that description. But they cannot possibly say that about their Religious Zionist opponents. No distinction is made. To imply that Rav Stav and his Religious Zionist colleagues are “evildoers and schemers of wickedness” is, in and of itself, terribly wrong.

Rav Landau has every right to disagree. But to issue such a blanket condemnation is something I cannot believe a religious leader in Klal Yisrael would say - knowing full well that Religious Zionist leaders support drafting Charedim. Surely Rav Landau knows there are devout Jews serving in the IDF - some of whom are even Charedi. How can he speak this way?

As I have said many times, the power behind the ‘throne’ of Charedi leadership is Daas Torah...

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Extremist Modesty as the New Normal

MBD concert in Jerusalem (2023)

I wonder what my younger self would think - if suddenly transported to the world in which we live today.

My parents were religious Jews who grew up in pre-Holocaust Europe. The religious values they absorbed stayed with them for life. I was raised according to those standards in post-Holocaust America. Although the world of European Jewry and American Jewry could not have been further apart culturally, the primary tenets of observant Judaism did not diminish in the slightest. Shabbos, kashrus, family purity laws (mikvah) were strictly observed, and Torah study was considered paramount.

But for my parents, living in the New World meant adapting to those parts of the culture that did not contradict halacha in particular and Torah values in general. So we owned a TV and occasionally went to a movie as a family. In short, we led a pretty normal American Jewish life without abandoning observance or Jewish values in any way.

It wasn’t only my family that lived that way. The acknowledged head of the Orthodox community in the city where we lived – Toledo - was Rabbi Nechemia Katz, who was also Rav Moshe Feinstein’s brother-in-law. He was my father’s posek, deciding difficult questions of Jewish law. Our families were good friends, and we would often go to the beach together. (Yes, you read that correctly.) What may be little known is that Rav Moshe used to visit his brother-in-law in Toledo on occasion. That is how I met Rav Moshe.One year when I came home for Shabbos Chanukah (from Telshe) my father and I walked over to meet him on Friday night.

This, in a nutshell, is what life was like for Orthodox Jews in America back then (early 1960s).

The idea of mixed-gender seating in any arena (other than a shul) was not an issue. It was as normal as apple pie. Men and women were often seated together in various forums, such as concerts or banquets. No one gave it a second thought.

Fast forward to today. The following was published in Arutz Sheva:

A letter published in the sector’s Yated Ne’eman newspaper and signed by all the leading Lithuanian-Charedi Torah scholars announced the establishment of a new rabbinical committee called “Shira Kehalacha” (Song According to Jewish Law). The new committee will oversee the performance industry and act as a kind of “kosher certification” for the music world.

The committee’s directives include a complete ban on mixed-gender performances, even those with full separation. Male singers are prohibited from performing in front of women in any setting. Exceptions will only be made for events within synagogues under strict supervision.

Simultaneously, singers and producers are required to sign a commitment to adhere to these rules. Anyone who refuses will be subject to a ban.

Men singers can no longer perform in front of women?!

Wow!

To answer the opening question: I would think I had suddenly been transported to mars!

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An Appalling Indifference to Israeli Suffering

Rav David Stav 

There has been intense anger expressed by many in Israel over a bill now pending in the Knesset that was ostensibly agreed to by both the Netanyahu government and Charedi leadership. The bill would - for the first time - draft Charedim into the IDF.

Under the proposal, Charedim not studying Torah full time in a Yeshiva or Kollel would be subject to the draft, with rabbinic approval. It was widely understood that enough Charedim fall into this category to significantly alleviate the IDF’s manpower shortage, thereby reducing the unbearably long and dangerous tours of duty now imposed on secular and religious-Zionist soldiers—a burden created largely by the blanket exemption of the Charedi community.

Although this would mean that only about 10% of Charedim would actually be drafted, I supported the compromise—not because it was fair, but because it was pragmatic.

 But a truly equitable law would require service from all citizens, exempting only the most elite Torahscholars. (What percentage that would be and how that would be measured is beyond the scope of this post.) But that was never politically realistic. This bill at least appeared to solve the manpower crisis.

It now seems that even this modest reform is illusory. One of the Charedi leaders who approved the deal has openly stated that the law is merely a ‘show’. And that no Charedi will ever be forced to serve if he does not wish to.

Prime Minister Netanyahu insists otherwise, but his motives are transparent. He needs the Charedi parties to remain in the coalition. If they leave, his government falls. The bill is therefore being sold as a victory for the IDF, even as evidence mounts that little will change.

The result is the perpetuation of a devastating status quo: endless reserve duty rotations that – except for Charedim - will endanger lives, destroy livelihoods, fracture families, and leave untold numbers of soldiers struggling with PTSD—sometimes so severe that they are unable to work or function normally. The human cost cannot be overstated.

It is appalling to me that the Charedi leadership never addresses this. At least not publicly. How can they ignore the ongoing tragedy affecting so many people who are sacrificing so much for their people?

Charedi leaders justify their opposition by claiming that army service leads to irreligiosity, asserting that the IDF is fundamentally a secularizing institution designed to strip religious Jews of observance. Anecdotal claims - such as one repeated by Rav Aharon Feldman, that ‘about half’ of Charedim who enlist become irreligious—are treated as proof...

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Progressive Jews

Mamdani's interfaith breakfast (JTA)

A headline that caught my eye this morning reads as follows:

“With Mamdani, progressive Jews are now agreeing instead of protesting at mayor’s interfaith breakfast.”

That led me to ask the obvious question: Is it possible to be both progressive and authentically Jewish at the same time?

For me, the answer is clear. Progressive values, as defined by self-described ‘progressive Jews,’ are decisively not Jewish values. This is not to say that none of those values contain any Jewish elements at all. It is to say that the overall philosophy of progressivism has little, if anything, to do with the values of the Torah. No matter how much the progressive heterodox rabbis who inhabit that world insist that they do.

The Torah sets forth some very strict parameters defining who we are, how we should act, and what kinds of behavior we must reject. Parameters outlined in the Torah itself and interpreted by the sages of every generation.

That progressive Jews support the Mamdani agenda says far more about their progressive values than it does about their religious values.

That said, it isn’t entirely their fault. Most of these progressive Jews had little or no Jewish education to speak of. They know little, if anything, about their Jewish heritage or the values of authentic Judaism. What they do know, they tend to dismiss as archaic and irrelevant to their lived values of universalism. The idea of Jewish exceptionalism is not only foreign to them - it is considered evil and self-centered.

Progressive values insist on the absolute equality of man. Differences are ignored. Differences in lifestyle – no matter how aberrant - are celebrated as morally positive. To a progressive, sexual orientation is in no way a factor in God’s eyes. One’s choice of same sex sexual intimacy is viewed as just that—a choice with no inherent moral content.

This is the ‘Judaism’ of the progressive. This is how they define it. Which is why Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, rabbi emerita of the LGBTQ+ synagogue Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, was so happy to attend the mayor’s interfaith breakfast. There is nothing for her to disagree with him about.

What does she consider a Jewish value...

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The President's Middle East Policy

Iranians at an anti-government protest in Tehran on Jan. 9, 2026 (ABC)

Although I am not part of MAGA, I nevertheless thank God that the founder of MAGA is still in control of the movement. As one would obviously expect when that founder happens to be the most powerful person in the world, the president of the United States.

The once-solid MAGA support for all of the president’s policies has come under attack by a significant segment of the MAGA base, specifically with respect to foreign policy. It is no secret that Tucker Carlson - once one of the president’s staunchest supporters - has now broken ranks with him over Middle East policy. Carlson has exposed himself as a rabid antisemite, even as he laughingly continues to insist that he is not, all while bashing Israel (and, by association, its over seven million Jews) with lies innuendos and distortion of facts.

Carlson has even had the gall to say nice things about Iran’s extremist Islamic leadership, (e.g. Unlike the American left - he opposes gay marriage!) - arguing that they are not the danger to America that the neocons (read: Jews) say they are, and that we should simply mind our own business and stay out of the Middle East.

This is why I say thank God.

The president pays little heed to this rabid antisemite and has instead built up a U.S. military cordon around Iran in preparation for a full-scale military attack should Iran refuse to agree to the terms of a new agreement. One that would verifiably bar Iran from enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels and require it to cease supporting terrorist proxies anywhere in the world.

This is something Iran will never agree to, since it runs entirely counter to its religious imperative to rid the world of ‘false’ religions and those who insist on believing in them.

When it comes to the security of Israel and the prevention of an extremist Muslim state from achieving its openly stated goal of ultimately imposing Sharia law over the entire world, I could not care less who is leading that charge.

As I have said many times, I harbor no illusions about the president’s failings in many other areas. Far too many to list...

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Extremism in Pursuit of God’s Will

‘Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.’ This comment was made by Barry Goldwater in his acceptance speech for the 1964 Republican presidential nomination. In my view, this attitude has been responsible for some of the worst atrocities of our day. Atrocities committed against us (the Jewish people) from the outside, as well as atrocities of another sort committed from within, by our own people.

One does not have to think very hard about the atrocities committed against us by extremists on the outside. There have been too many to count, the latest of which began on October 7, 2023 - and lasted two years. And there remains the very real threat of further atrocities being committed against us by the extremist Islamic regime of Iran.

In all of these cases of extremism, it is not in pursuit of liberty, but in pursuit of something of a much higher order that is pursued: the belief that the atrocity being committed is in service of God. That it is God’s desire that His word (as understood by their beliefs) be established in the world, eliminating all other versions which are deemed false. When acting on behalf of God, ‘whatever it takes’ is what is required. Extremism becomes a given.

This same logic applies to our own religious extremists. Although I certainly do not compare them to Hamas or Iran in degree - we are not mass murderers - I do compare their motives: the use of extremism to advance goals they believe to be Godly.

There are basically two different sets of religious extremists. Both of which are devoutly religious, but could not be further apart in the goals they pursue. Yet they are disturbingly close in the methods they use to achieve them.

Extremist Charedim believe that their refusal to serve in the IDF is an ideal worth pursuing through extremist means, regardless of the damage it does or who gets hurt in the process. This is why they see no issue with violent protests that often cause bodily harm and, at times, even death. Sometimes to their own protesters. It doesn’t matter. To paraphrase Barry Goldwater: ‘Extremism in the pursuit of God’s will is no vice’.  To them it is instead a virtue.

Extremist Religious Zionists are no better...

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Josh Shapiro's Values and Politics

Being interviewed by Gayle King

The more I learn about Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, the more I like him. Although I have a strong tendency toward conservative politicians, I am not a conservative ideologue. Never have been. While I admit that I have been far more influenced by conservative political ideology in recent years than I ever have been, that is because those values tend to be more compatible with my religious worldview. I am not, however, ‘married’ to conservative politics. Nor do I believe that being politically conservative guarantees being philo-Semitic.

That bubble burst this year when two very prominent conservatives turned out to be openly antisemitic. Tucker Carlson’s virulent anti-Israel rhetoric is hardly devoid of anti-Jewish sentiment, despite his protestations to the contrary. But Candace Owens has proven to be the worst offender of them all. She can give Joseph Goebbels a run for his money when it comes to whose virulent antisemitic propaganda is more extreme—as evidenced most recently in a video recording of one of her podcasts.

So no. Being politically conservative does not automatically mean being more sympathetic to the Jewish people.

That is why I do not place much weight on labels when supporting a particular candidate for office. I look at the individual - what their values are and what policies are likely to flow from those values. Of particular interest to me is a candidate’s attitude toward Israel and toward the Jewish people. The candidate whose values and policies are most supportive of those two critically important issues is likely to earn my support, regardless of whether they are Democrat or Republican.

This does not mean that I ignore or minimize other issues. As an American, I obviously care deeply about whose values and policies will best enhance the public good, both domestically and in foreign affairs. That I have chosen Republican candidates more often than Democrats simply reflects my judgment that, on issues important to me, Republican policies were superior in those particular cases.

In the case of Josh Shapiro, I think it is safe to say that he is on the “short list” of people likely to be the Democratic nominee for president in 2028. If that turns out to be the case, I do not see any Republican running against him for whom I would vote. Especially if the Republican nominee ends up being Vice-President J.D. Vance.

I have written recently about the possibility of a contest between these two. To repeat: Vance has proven to be parve at best when it comes to Israel and the Jewish people. His refusal to distance himself from Tucker Carlson - offering the absurd explanation that he does not believe there should be a litmus test for participation in the conservative movement - does not excuse tolerating an antisemite thinly disguised as an “anti-Zionist.” How stupid does he think we are...

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Rabbi Shmaryahu (Sidney) Meltzer, ZTL

This is what our classroom looked like - Rabbi Meltzer at the head

I am saddened to report the passing of Rabbi Shmaryahu (Sidney) Meltzer.

Rabbi Meltzer was my first rebbe at HTC’s Yeshiva High School (now called Fasman) in Skokie, when I was in 11th grade. I had transferred there from Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland.

Although Telshe had an excellent limudei kodesh program that trained its students how to learn Gemara—and they also had a pretty decent secular studies curriculum back then, from which I did, in fact, gain a lot—I was never comfortable with the hashkafa. It was far too “separatist” for my taste.

My family was far more integrated into the broader culture than Telshe approved of. For example, we had a TV and went to the occasional movie. I was (and still am) a fan of secular music, and my parents never discouraged me from that—even though my father came from a very strict Chassidic background and later returned to that lifestyle culturally upon making Aliyah in the early ’70s. Philosophically, however, he remained an adherent of Torah im Derech Eretz.

That is how I was raised.

Telshe forbade all of those things, making me feel uncomfortable and even guilty for enjoying them. I recall one mussar shmuess where the Rosh Mechina (the high school principal) forbade even going bowling, labeling it chukas hagoy.

Needless to say, my transition to HTC was quite a relief...

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Why There Have Been No New Posts

 For those that may be wondering why there have been no new posts since last Monday, I appreciate your concern.

I am in Israel now for a granddaughter’s wedding and simply haven’t had enough time to post anything since I left last Monday night. My next post will probably be next Wednesday after i get back.

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Social Narcissism and Accusations of Sex Abuse

Yeshivat Har Etzion Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yaakov Medan (Jerusalem Post)

Sexual abuse in the world of Orthodox Jewry seems to have declined over the last few years. But it has not gone away. I wonder whether this apparent decline reflects a real reduction of incidents, or whether it is more a function of the continued reluctance of survivors to report abuse. Either way, sexual abuse has not disappeared, as demonstrated by a recent news story in The Jerusalem Post.

A Berlin district court has found a rabbi guilty of “sexual assault and sexual coercion by exploiting a moment of surprise,” a misdemeanor under German law.

The criminal case was brought by the Berlin public prosecutor and by one of multiple women who have accused the rabbi of a range of sexual abuses dating back almost two decades…

The co-plaintiff and two witnesses were among 17 women who testified against the rabbi in July 2023 before an Orthodox Jewish court, a beit din, in Germany. That court ruled that the defendant was unfit to serve in any clerical role, including as a ritual circumciser, Torah scribe, and kashrut supervisor.

This rabbi sexually abused women for nearly twenty years before justice was finally served. I suspect that the perceived downturn in abuse cases is not because it happens less often, but because survivors remain reluctant to report it. That reluctance is as strong as ever -for understandable reasons. But it ends with a gross miscarriage of justice.

This point was driven home for me by Rabbi Yaakov Medan, co-head of Yeshivat Har Etzion. The Jerusalem Post recently reported on a warning he issued about the dangers of what he calls “social narcissism,” which he says can lead to what he describes as ritualized sexual abuse of minors carried out under the guise of religious or social ceremonies.

His point is that when people are led to believe that their particular social or religious group is beyond reproach, they will refuse to believe that anyone who belongs to it - especially someone viewed as a leader - could ever be involved in such acts. I am not entirely sure what Rabbi Medan means by “ritualized sexual abuse,” but the phrase is chilling. In a religious setting, the victim is not only abused, but may also be manipulated by an abuser perceived religious authority - into believing that what is happening is acceptable, meaningful, or even holy. I can think of few things more insidious than exploiting a young person’s faith to satisfy one’s own sexual perversion...

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