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| Three Charedi recruits interviewed by Arutz Sheva |
That being said, there is still the hard-core opposition to
army service by the Charedi leadership. Which has spawned violent
demonstrations by extremist factions of the Charedi world in Jerusalem.
But there is indeed, it seems, a quiet revolution taking
place at the grassroots level that may eventually lead to government policy
that would once and for all end the conflict between Charedim on the one hand
and secular and non-Charedi religious Jews (Datiim) on the other.
It would begin - or perhaps it has already begun - with a
military program catered to Charedi sensitivities, combined with a cohort of
Charedi Jews who feel the moral need to share the military burden with the rest
of the country.
One story in Arutz Sheva reports
the following:
New haredi recruits arrived at the Tel Hashomer induction
center accompanied by family members. Israel National News - Arutz Sheva spoke
with them about their excitement and concerns, amid a small protest against
enlistment by members of the Jerusalem Faction.
One recruit described his long journey toward enlistment:
“I’m very excited. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time and worked very
hard for it.” He said the process required him to leave his comfort zone, but
added, “I think this is where I belong.”
Family members also expressed their excitement. One father
said, “It’s a very moving morning. I was privileged to bring my firstborn son
and entrust him to the IDF,” noting that some haredim are enlisting and even
choosing combat service.
I am heartened to see this attitude on the part of
mainstream Charedim. My guess is that there are more than a few families like
this one who, as of yet, fear the consequences of expressing a positive
attitude about army service - much less actually enlisting in it.
But yet, we have not yet reached the stage where Charedim
can feel comfortable that all their religious needs will be met. That is the
concern expressed in another Arutz Sheva article,
with the following subtitle:
Friends of 15 Rotem Battalion soldiers jailed for ten days
say clash involving female paramedic was part of ongoing tensions with their
commanders, including a training exercise scheduled for Shabbat.
If anything can spoil the future of Charedi enlistment in
the IDF, this is it…
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