 |
| Yehoreg V'Al Ya'avor - better to die than serve in the IDF? (Arutz Sheva) |
Why is there so much prejudice against Charedim in Israel? I
for one do not believe it is warranted. At least not in most cases. The vast
majority just want to be left alone to do their thing. Whether one agrees with them or not - their goal is for men to
learn Torah full time without any impediment.
My own personal experience
with Charedim in Israel has always been very positive. The Charedim of Ramat Bet
Shemesh have been nothing but very warm and accommodating to me. They do not
care a whit that I wear a Kipa Seruga.
I was even a Shaliach Tzibur (I led the services) in
one of the Charedi Shuls there when I was in Aveilus - the 12 month mourning period for my mother a few years ago. One can find religious IDF soldiers in uniform (both
RZ and Charedi) Davening in their Shuls. They are respected and treated like any other
religious Jew. In short the Charedim I have met in Israel are some of the
finest people I know.
And yet if one reads media reports, one
would think there is a virtual war between – not only secular Jews and Charedim,
but even Dati Leumi (Modern Orthodox) Jews and Charedim.
Are there alternative
realities in Israel?
Well yes and no. The truth is that even though Israel seems
like one of the most polarized places in the civilized world – it is an
oversimplification to say that. That’s because there are Charedim and there are
Charedim.
Just like the US Israel has a mainstream moderate Charedi
population and an extremist Charedi population. The differences between the US
and Israel is that the poles at each end of the spectrum shift rightward in
Israel. But it is still true that just like the US - there is a wide spectrum between
the poles in Israel. And a center – that also shifts right compared to America.
But this post is not about defining the parameters of each nor about comparing
the center-point of each. I mention it only to show that despite the differences
between American and Israeli Charedim the centers of both are far more tolerant
of other Hashkafos even if they disagree with them.
And yet there seems to be a broad brush feeling on the part
of some that sees the other side as evil – at one level or another. Why is
that?
In my view it is all about the extremists. And in Israel the
extremists comprise a large segment of Charedi Jews albeit a minority. On the
far right you have the Meah Shearim types that behave in violent ways or
support those among them that do. Behavior that feeds modern day journalism. Which
is to record ‘man bites dog’ news, and ignore ‘dog bites man’ news. Those who
do not come into contact with Charedim, see only those negative images of them.
They therefore conclude that this how they all are. Which is the furthest thing
from the truth.
But in the last few years, some of the more mainstream
Charedim have taken on this approach. This was made abundantly clear in a
recent protest by the ‘Jerusalem faction’ led by Rav Shmuel Aurbach. They see themselves
as the new guardians of the faith… modern day zealots that will protect the
Jewish people from the hands of the unrighteous. The very saviors of the Jewish
people - standing strong against those that wish to undermine the Torah. To
that end they are willing to die.
That’s correct. I said, ‘die’!
People that are willing to die for their principles is a noble
thing to do. Certainly preventing Torah from desecration and the Jewish people
from destruction is. The problem is in how the leaders of this faction define
that. The latest of which was a
statement by one Jerusalem faction rabbis about serving in the IDF. Which was
published in Arutz Sheva a few days ago:
Rabbi Tzvi Friedman, a member of the anti-Zionist Yerushalmi Faction, spoke at a gathering of supporters in a makeshift yeshiva outside of Army Prison 6, near Atlit on the northern coast.
During his talk with supporters at the yeshiva outside of Prison 6, Rabbi Friedman espoused a hardline against service in the IDF, telling parents enlistment was a worse fate for their children than death, Kikar Hashabbat reported.
“Every mother in Israel needs to know that if her son or daughter goes to the army, death would be preferable,” Rabbi Friedman said.
Let us examine the implications of that statement. If a Jew would
be forced to serve the IDF under penalty of death, he should allow himself to
be executed!
I’m relatively sure this is based on their views that the
IDF is anti religious and a national brothel. Defending Israel and the Jewish
people is apparently not worth doing if you have to live in an environment of
sexual promiscuity in order to do it. Yehoreg V’Al Ya’avor! Better to die. This attitude is what generates
the harassment of Charedi soldiers by the worst element among them.
What about the 6 million or so Jews that would surely be annihilated
by Israel’s enemies that have sworn to do so if there was no IDF to prevent
that? God will protect them without an army.
The fact is that the IDF is not a national brothel. But even
if it were, there are religious units there that have existed since the
founding of the State. Hesder programs are desgined for religious Zionist Jews
that split their time between Torah study and military duties. Surely Hesder is not a brothel. And in recent
times, there is Nachal Charedi - army units that have been created to serve Charedim – respecting their religious values
that exceed the basic requirements of Halahca. To consider the IDF a Yehoreg V’Al
Ya’avor is an inlsult to the entire IDF! Especially to the religious soldiers
of Hesder and Nachal Charedi.
They will defend their position with the notion that Israel
is not protected by the IDF in any case. That it is only by virtue of those who
study Torah L’Shma – for its own sake that Israel is protected – not the oft heard
claim made by secular Israelis of ‘Kochi
V’Otzem Yodi’ – the physical prowess of the IDF.
No matter how many times I see them doing or saying things
like this, it is still shocking to me. The hubris of thinking that God will
protect them without any physical human effort is breathtaking. I’m not even
sure they believe it.
If anything causes prejudice against Charedim by the rest of
Israeli society, this is it! That it is only the Jerusalem faction is lost on
most people. That’s because despite being a minority, they are still a large
number and most of them look no different that the Charedi mainstream in Israel does. It
isn’t only about exempting themselves from army service even if it would be
under strict Charedi conditions. It isn’t only about allowing others to die for
them. It is about a grossly unfair characterization of the army as being so bad, better to die
than serve!
Not everyone gets to see the Charedim in Israel that I see. They
reject this kind of thinking. They are tolerant of the IDF and realize that it
is as much their efforts as it is Torah study that protects them. What most Israelis
see instead is story after story like this. And that paints Charedim with an extremist
brush so despicable that I can’t really blame them for their attitude.
