Shas party leader and Deputy Prime Minister R’ Eli Yishai responded to the recent high profile position taken by Yair Lapid, the ultra-secularist who this week launched his Yesh Atid party, highlighting the need to bring an end to draft deferments for chareidim.
“Mr. Lapid, we don’t hate you but the tzibur can no longer tolerate your hypocrisy. If you would only have taken the time to learn the facts you would know those who sit and learn do not receive special government grants. The overwhelming majority of the religious/traditional tzibur does serve in the IDF, in combat and elite units while you hide behind old newspapers like the BaMachane Magazine. Try for once to do it correctly without running educational scams”.
“I want to tell chareidim that we don’t hate you but we simply can no longer fund you”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
5 Responses
well said. These secular israelis are the biggest anti semites of the lot
“We simply can no longer fund you,” says Mr. Lapid. Let’s test that. First, tear down your malls and theaters and cafes. Cancel your massive anniversary parties. Get your cars off the road. Limit your universities to the few who need them. Restore the travel tax. Then, when your lifestyle fits your income, ask again whether you can “fund” the people whose learning keeps you alive.
Secular Israelis can’t be expected to understand the musig of torusoi umnusoi.
We must understand that no hasburu will explain to most fraya our chashevis in Torah. The torah is powerful its the siba for kiyum haolam. But explaining this to an am hauretz is paramount to explaining to a child why he has to go to sleep on time at night. The child may never understand the need, so this could only be implemented with rewards e.t.c.. But speaking negatively in this case to the fraya will only cause animosity. And civil war, it could even result in in the end. we all remember the Emanuel imprisonment. This is not a joking matter, the fraya could do this. Especially since they all seem fed up. These days in Israel no secular party in Israel is selling his platform without mentioning the equal draft law to include the frum. So the Charedi parties if they think they’ll beat it, have another thing coming to them.
The solution might just be that all the Charedim go together to prison. or to the army This will be very hard for the government to implement. And the hasbara will be gained in the process.
“The overwhelming majority of the religious/traditional tzibur does serve in the IDF, in combat and elite units while you hide behind old newspapers like the BaMachane Magazine”
It is obvious that he is including Religious Zionists in his formulation. How misleading! The overwhelming majority of Chareidim do NOT serve in the Army.
If Yishai believes in the Chareidi system than let him defend it. Don’t lie and mislead the public.
#4, He said the religious/traditional tzibur. The tzibur that supports lomdei torah. What’s the difference between one sector and another?