Today is Yom Yerushalayim. On this (Hebrew) date in 1967, the Israeli army fought and won
a war against several Arab nations that
joined forces in order to fulfill the promises of Egyptian President Gamal Abdul
Nassar, then considered the leader of the Arab world.
He had been promising to drive the Jews into
the sea from the very moment Israel declared Independence 19 years earlier. But with
God’s undeniable help and against all odds, Israel defeated the advancing Arab
armies in six short days. In the processed they recaptured site of our holy
temple.
That moment was magical. It was celebrated by almost all Jews that
had even the tiniest sense of Jewish history and their Jewish heritage. That was reflected in the way Lt. Gen.
Mordechai "Motta" Gur, the commander of the brigade that achieved that
momentous goal, when he said ‘Har HaBayis BeYadenu’ - the Temple Mount is in our hands. To the best of my knowledge
Gur was not an observant Jew. And yet he felt the significance of that moment.
As did those three soldiers did in the above iconic picture of them as they entered
that area of the first time since it had been liberated. I don’t think they were observant either.
And yet on this day most Charedi Shuls ignored it. A day
that was loaded with so much significance to the Jewish people… was just another
day in those circles. Tachanun which is usually omitted for even the slightest
hint of a Simcha; or the Yahzeit of a Chasdidic rebbe; or the most minor of Jewish
holidays was recited. We had one of the
most significant events in the last 2000 years happen. And it didn’t even merit what an
appearance of a Sandek at a Minyan would.
Although I disagree with them - I understand why they do not approve of the State of
Israel - and therefore ignore celebrating Yom Ha’Atzmaut - Israel’s Independence day They do not say Hallel and they do say Tachanun. But I do not understand
why the return of Har HaBayis also means nothing to them.
Ironically - Rav Ahron
Soloveichik said Hallel only on Yom Ha’atzmaut. He did not say Hallel on Yom Yerushalyim.
In light of the above I asked him why. He answered that the return of Eretz
Yisroel into Jewish hands after 2000 years was a far more significant event than the
return of Har HaBayis 19 years later. But he did not say Tachnun on either day. When
something as significant as this happens it is something to celebrate. At least
as much as the appearance of a Sandek at a Minyan is.
That it is ignored and treated like any other day where
Tachanun is said is a sad commentary. The fact that these two events, especially
the former has enabled and encouraged so many Jews to study Torah is not only
ignored, it is seen by some as a tragedy. Which begs the question of why there
even are Charedi political parties. If they think the State of Israel is so
evil, how can they participate in it?
The answer is obvious. By participating in a democracy they
can get the legislation they need to sustain their lifestyles.They have
secured enormous amounts of money via legislation. And
perhaps more significantly they have secured the right to be exempt from the
dangers of military service.
That happened early in the State of Israel’s history when
their numbers were relatively small. The state agreed to exempt Yeshiva
students from serving. But now that their numbers have grown to unprecedented numbers
in modern times those exemptions are being questioned. Rightly so in my view.
It is one thing to exempt the elite students who will become our future
religious leaders, rabbis and teachers. It is another to exempt anyone
registered in a Yeshiva, which is what virtually every single Charedi. Which is
what in effect that does since virtually all of them go to a yeshiva and are encouraged
to stay there well in to their married lives.
I have always maintained that it is gross injustice to exempt
an entire class of people with a loophole designed for a few elite individuals
when it was created. A loophole that means that they will never be subject to
be sent into harm’s way the way the rest of Israelis are.
I am not going to
argue that point now. I will only say that I have yet to hear any reasonable refutation
of that view. As long as there is compulsory conscription it should apply equally
to everyone – exemptions included. There are always exemptions for one valid
reason or another. Torah study is as legitimate as many of the others. But not
as a wholesale exemption for an entire class of people. The controversy persists
to this day. It has been the cause of some of the secular parties to eliminate those
wholesale exemptions.
Recently there has been willingness expressed by some (most?)
the Charedi leadership to allow exemptions to be somewhat limited in some sort
of compromise. Quotas were established which were agreed to be filled by the
Charedi world. This was wisely done so that they could get back the business of
governing the country in a new center-right coalition government that would be formed after
the last election. With the 2 Charedi parties (UTJ and Shas) holding a whopping
16 seats combined, they will have unprecedented power to pursue their agenda.
They are second only to the two major parties, Likud and ‘Blue and White’.
The problem is that Avigdor Liberman, a powerful politician whose
5 seats were needed to give the Netanyahu’s Likud Party – the winner of the
last election - a ruling mandate has
refused to compromise at all. He wants to eliminate Charedi exemptions entirely.
And is not interested in forming a coalition that compromises that goal. Netanyahu has
now called for new elections.
I see no positive value in what he did. I take second place to
no one when it comes to my views about applying compulsory conscription equally to all segments of Israel. But compromise is what politics is all about. What Liberman is doing is perplexing. What did he have to gain by
doing this does he think he can will more seats by showing how intransigent he
is? Does he think that being unable to compromise on an issue like this will
gain him favor in the voting public? Does he really think he can gain more seats in a new election?
In my view, he is unworthy of serving in the Kenesset. I
have no clue what his motives are. But my guess is they are more about himself
than they are about serving the public. If I was an Israeli voter who voted for
Liberman’s party because I believed in the principles of a center right government, I would not vote for Liberman’s party second time around. I would vote for one of the other
center-right parties. I hope the portion of the electorate that voted for him
in the past can see through his selfish motives and tell him by
their vote, that he should go seek a job elsewhere.
