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| Charedim ‘Pushed to the Limit’ (Mishpacha) |
That’s pretty much how I feel about the “terrible pain”
Charedim in Israel are going through. This is not to say they aren’t really
feeling any pain. Of course they are. The decision by their leadership to defy
the draft law has indeed caused them unprecedented hardship. Whereas in the
past much of their way of life was subsidized by the government, that support
has now been removed because of their refusal to serve in any capacity in
Israel’s armed services.
This has always been a sore subject with me. But it has
never taken on the urgency that it does right now, when the rest of Israel is
subject to the draft during a time of war. The army of the Jewish people is
severely understaffed, forcing those who do serve to spend extraordinarily long
tours of duty. This, in turn, causes great hardship to their families and
careers, if not destroying them completely. Add to that the loss of life and
limb, along with lifelong PTSD suffered by many soldiers, and forgive me if I
don’t view the suffering Charedim are experiencing right now with much
sympathy.
Nothing new here. Nor is it surprising that a magazine
like Mishpacha would
take up their cause, parroting accusations that this is a war on Torah. Or
similarly absurd claims that have little basis in fact.
Mishpacha’s latest issue doubles down on this
attitude in an article titled, Pushed to the Limit. Therein
it presents “tales of woe experienced by bochurim, avreichim,
and their wives because of the judiciary’s campaign against Charedi bnei
Torah”.
This is how Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein describes it. What
makes Rabbi Adlerstein’s Cross-Currents article
unique - is the outrage I sensed underlying it. And of course, I could not
agree more.
Mishpacha’s article tells us of the difficulties and
sacrifices these Charedi families are going through, but it misses a crucial
point.
Here is how he put it:
“Mercifully, no one tried comparing their difficulties and
sacrifices with those of soldiers and their families, which would have been
obscene.” (emphasis mine)
“Yet failure to make the comparison is also offensive, and
contravenes the halacha of nosei b’ol Chavero (Sharing the burden of one’s
fellow).”
This is precisely the problem. Their refusal to recognize
the far greater sacrifices made by those who are actually participating in the
defense of the Jewish people - and the sacrifices being made by their
families - leaves the impression that they are the ones suffering the most.
That no one suffers as much as they do, It’s no wonder, therefore, that Rabbi
Adlerstein seems so outraged by this article…
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