MK Yitzchak Herzog of the Labor Party, a former Minister of Welfare, spoke with Chadrei Chareidim. He opened the interview by proudly sharing his family heritage; speaking of his grandfather Rabbi Yitzchak Halevy Herzog zt”l, explaining that this image continues to play a major role in his life — directing him in his life of public service. Herzog highlights his decision to leave the most prestigious law firm in Israel to commit to public service, and he remains committed to this goal.
Speaking of the recent political tensions, he commented that he does not advocate parties that decide to feed off of hate, such as Yisrael Beitenu, “which began with hate for Arabs and now, more recently against chareidim, both by taunting them and using hate.”
Herzog feels one must know how to address Am Yisrael and understand there are many viewpoints. “Of course there are problems with the chareidi tzibur, and I know this community very well, and as minister of welfare I addressed this close up. I believe dialogue is critical.
The former minister spoke of the issue of men and academic education, pointing out Rabbi Herzog did not fear going out into the world, not fearing to earn three university degrees and writing a doctoral thesis on marine biology in 12 languages. He spoke of the doctoral work which focused on techeiles and argamon.
Herzog, a member of the Tal Committee, feels the law served as a “bridge, “evolutionary and not revolutionary towards bringing the chareidim into the mainstream and better integration, as we see with Nachal Chareidim and Shachar soldiers”.
“This process is irreversible and it will continue. First of all, we forget that the Tal Law faced strong chareidi opposition and Rav Karelitz, the former Bnei Brak mayor and Rabbi Asher Tannenbaum of the Vaad Yeshivos were on the committee and literally faced threats as a result of their position.
“We must remember, Justice Tal who headed the committee lost a son in a war. He is a bereaved father who endured the most painful Holocaust. For me, my bottom line, as it was in the committee is that I believe everyone must serve in the IDF. It is important for me that everyone is aware of my opinion…
“Nevertheless, there is the optimal and there is reality, and we must address this most complicated situation, which includes significant poverty and many seeking a way out, those who do not learn but are locked in the system…
“We saw during the intifada how the chareidim were there, responding to the emergencies and addressing the worst of situations. We see how the women have been trained and joined the workforce, and I believe it will continue…
“In the 1950s however it was different, despite the deal with Ben-Gurion. My father was a student in the Chevron Yeshiva but nevertheless, like others, was there to defend Yerushalayim when the time came…
“As the numbers of the chareidim increase”, quoting a letter from David Ben-Gurion, “the moral dilemma of one falling in battle while others sit in a beis medrash. This can never be solved by compelling one’s hand’ he explained, blaming the government for Tal Law’s failure, citing there was no funding to push or encourage chareidim to join the workforce.
“I feel the revamped law must have significantly more funding, projects like Nachal Chareidi and Shachar, additional resources, and of course, permitting the serious learners to continue learning. The process of integrating chareidim into mainstream society and national service with the realization there must always be a core group that continues learning.
“We must understand this infuriates the dati leumi and hesder students, the non religious who serve and their sons are wounded and killed. They do not understand. It is not simple”.
Herzog has no doubt that some of the recent issues; the lack of honor for women as the public perceives this, the ‘hadarat nashim’ is the result of an increased chareidi presence in the workplace. “If we strive to integrate chareidim into the mainstream, then we must accommodate this lifestyle as well. I am calling for dialogue. The Tal Law has played itself out and we must build a new formula that is acceptable to all, by mans of dialogue”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
“…For me, my bottom line, as it was in the committee is that I believe everyone must serve in the IDF…”
That’s the bottom line. Chareidim will fall into line, or else.
On an historical note, Hezog’s father was the Chief Rabbi during the time that the Chazon Ish was fighting against the drafting of ALL girls into the IDF or into National Service–“Sherut Leumi.” This was Ben-Gurion’s plan for the “Intergration”–assimilation– of Chareidi girls into his secular melting pot.
The Chazon Ish fought-off Ben-Gurion successfully, but, he specifically refused to work with Rabbi Herzon, because he was sure that the Mizrahi Chief Rabbi would yield to pressure from his party colleagues when crunch time came.
Rabbi Herzon, being a well-meaning Talmid Chochom, insisted on joining the Chazon Ish, without being invited. However, true to the Chazon Ish’s farsighted prediction, when the Mizrachi Party exerted pressure on Rabbi Herzog to withdraw his support, he caved, and did a tremendous amount of damage to the effort.
With friends like this, who needs enemies!
The issue should not be how to “integrate chareidim into the mainstream,” but rather how in integrate the hilonim into the world of Torah and Mitsvos. They might be willing to accept a role as a secular, marginalized minority who are barely tolerated.
But realistically, the hilonim can’t imagine any world but their own, and we have no part in it. It is a zero-sum game unless people like Yitzchak Herzog, who is from a very powerful zionist family that only recently went off the derekh, can find a way to convince his fellow hilonim that being second class citizens in a Jewish state would be better to having that state destroyed by their insistence on it being a hiloni state.
I saw pashkevillim a while back (provoked by I don’t know what) warning against the terrible ill winds blowing to “take the pure yiddin out of their ghettos which kept them holy”. I get the point, but the language struck me as a little odd. I suppose the next version will have the MK’s name in bold, featured as the new Amolek.
R Meir Kahane HYD used to call Herzog’s father, Chaim Herzog, חומץ בן יין.
I once saw a picture in the newspaper of a reception that a foreign government gave for Chaim Herzog when he was visiting as Israel’s president; the governor, who was a protestant minister, wore a kipah in Herzog’s honour, while Herzog himself was bareheaded.