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| Rav Dov Lando (Jerusalem Post) |
The burden is not equally shared. Safeguarding the Jewish homeland is currently being undertaken by an IDF that consists primarily of non-Charedi soldiers. Many of whom are nonetheless devoutly religious. That Israel needs an army is not in question. Without it, the Jewish inhabitants of the land would be slaughtered, a fact recently noted by YU Rosh Yeshiva Rav Hershel Schachter.
The problem with this absolute reality is that it is never
mentioned by the Charedi leadership. They focus purely on the Torah’s protective
power.
I am not here to argue the point. I agree that Torah study
is vital to the Jewish people. But it is equally true that without an army, the
Jews of Israel would indeed be slaughtered.
This fact is recognized by the Religious Zionist community,
whose devout religious leaders require their young to serve.
Charedi religious leaders never talk about that fact.
It’s hard to imagine that they actually believe Israel doesn’t need a army. But
I have never once heard them say so. Their constant refrain has been that Charedim
may not serve under any circumstances. For
two reasons.
One, because those who study Torah should be able to do so for as long as they can without any interruption. Especially army service.
And two
because of a belief recently expressed by Ner Israel Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Aharon
Feldman. Which is that about half the inductees who enter the IDF observant,
leave non-observant. This, he says, is unacceptable and why he opposes any
Charedi being inducted.
None of this is new. Nor is it new that the rest of Israel - whether secular or observant is subjected to the draft. They serve. And place themselves in harm’s way. Some of whom have paid the ultimate price sacrificing themselves for the Jewish people. As have their families who have been affected accordingly.
Rabbi Feldman’s “hard no” is what motivates the kind of
extremism that was reported recently by the Times of Israel:
The two lawmakers, Moshe Gafni and Ya’akov Asher, are receiving the second-highest level of security monitoring, including protection at home… the two have received many threats.
On Saturday night, Haredi rioters demonstrated outside Asher’s home in Bnei Brak, after another group rioted around Shas MK Yoav Ben-Tzur’s car, smashing its window and drawing outcry from across party lines.
“The threats against elected representatives of the Haredi public have escalated in recent weeks. Evidence of this is the violent demonstration that took place near the home of MK Ben-Tzur from the Shas party, alongside more and more attempted attacks by Haredi extremists who are unwilling to accept the conscription bill that is being formulated,” a senior police official told Channel 12.
It is therefore no small wonder why so many Israelis from
all segments - religious or otherwise - are upset - even angered by the Charedi refusal to
serve. Even those that concede that Torah study is important and that
conditions for army service are not ideal for Charedi needs, the need to
protect our people overrides those concerns. That protection is in the hands of
an army that is severely understaffed. That shortfall is compensated for by
extended tours of duty, which increase the danger to soldiers’ lives and the
worry to their families back home.
These are undeniable hard facts. Meanwhile, the military has
repeatedly warned that it urgently lacks manpower. They need more soldiers. And
the largest available pool of recruits refuses to serve. How can we achieve
some sort of compromise that will satisfy both the IDF and the Charedi world?
If it were up to me, I would require all able-bodied men to register for the draft. Once army needs are met, exemptions could then be considered based on how vital one’s service is to the country. Whether in medical research or (if you are observant and feel as I do) - in Torah study. But I am not in charge.
There is, however, currently a bill in the Knesset that would allow
for a compromise, where Charedim who do not study Torah could be inducted. That
bill has received preliminary approval from the two leading rabbinic leaders of
the Lithuanian Yeshiva world: Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch and Rav Dov Lando - provided
the army has a framework that fully accommodates Charedi needs. As far as I
know, such frameworks already exist and could surely be expanded if needed. As
long as those who choose to study full-time are exempted, these leaders are
willing to accept this version of a draft law.
I am not overly happy with a law that automatically grants
exemptions to those who simply choose to learn. That is what most of them do
anyway. It is unfair and would merely formalize the exemptions they have always
had. Summing up the opposition to this bill is the following comment in the Jerusalem Post:
“Any attempt to circumvent the court’s ruling and to approve through legislation the mass evasion of tens of thousands of young ultra-Orthodox men — at a time when the IDF needs more than 12,000 additional soldiers, and reservists are collapsing under the burden — is a serious violation of the rule of law and equality,” the organization said.
OK. I get it. However, if there are enough Charedim who do not
choose to learn and can fill IDF needs, I think it’s better to take the deal
rather than continue the enmity between the Jewish people. To make the bill
more acceptable, perhaps it could be amended to include drafting those who
choose to stay in a yeshiva but do not actually spend much time learning if at
all. Having registered precisely because they wanted to dodge the draft.
I understand the objections and even agree with them. But if
we are all going to get along, a compromise that satisfies the needs of both
the IDF and the Charedi world is the right way to go.
I am not overly optimistic, though, about this bill passing
in the Knesset because of the opposition from the more extreme factions of the
Charedi world who feel the way Rabbi Feldman does - and those on the other side who believe the
only equitable solution is to draft all Charedim the way everyone else is. No
exceptions.
But still, the willingness to compromise at any level by the
two most respected leaders in the Charedi world is progress. Of sorts.
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