Kadima MK Yochanan Plesner, who headed the state committee assigned to research a new arrangement to replace the Tal Law, on Monday morning 29 Tishrei 5773 called on the government to draft tens of thousands of eligible chareidim. Speaking at a session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee addressing the abolition of Tal and the current situation, Plesner questioned by chareidim are not being inducted into the military as the law demands.
In comments to the media, Plesner was critical of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who he accuses of trying to woo the chareidi parties, adding the situation is what it is and the people want all citizens to share the defense burden. He added that today, 50% of the nation’s first graders “are not Zionists” and as such, they do not plan to serve in the military when they grow up, questioning the prime minister’s decision to ignore the pressing issue at hand.
“This is indeed the ticking time bomb but in this case, the prime minister has not set a red line in place” added Plesner.
Plesner added the upcoming elections will serve as a national referendum permitting voters to speak their minds and clearly set national priorities into place and he is confident the nation will change the current reality to reflect a situation in which all citizens will have to share in the national defense burden.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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8 Responses
He Will get his
Not a good law. Thru their Torah learning these students have been protecting Israel for decades .
This guy’s a real “winner”. That said, Hashem is sending us a message that we need to step up our commitment to Torah and mitzvos. Limud Torah lishma holds the world up. Wasting time hanging out in the coffee room or yakking on the phone causes the enemies of Torah to rear their ugly heads. Shteiging is the only cure for this gazera.
This is the existential threat. Iran is at most a nuisance.
In the “worst case” scenario, the army will be seriously weakened by Hareidi conscripts who are disloyal and insubbordinate, not to mention the possibility that if the army makes an effort at accomodating Hareidim it will alienate the hilonim. Both could happen (angry Hareidim monkey wrenching the army, angry hilonim objecting).
If non-zionist Hareidim start requesting conscientious objector status, then Israeli will have a serious international problem if they deny them, and a serious domestic problem if they grant it (hilonim will also object more loudly, and having bnei Torah questioning the legitimacy of the medinah is bad public relations in any event). And then there is the problem that pro-zionist Hareidim won’t necessarily obey orders if their rabbanim object, e.g., to dismantle Jewish communities in the West Bank.
And I’m not getting into anything that isn’t strictly a “this world” analysis, since the halachic objections to abandonning Torah in order to play soldier are well known.
Reply to Akuperma
Why do you suggest that Chareidim are incapable or unwilling to show the bravery and discipline necessary to fight to protect their families and other Israelis from terrorists? They have both the intellignce and the mesiras nefesh to do so and should be encouraged to join the IDF. As their numbers grown, they will constitute a larger and large percentage of the total population and thats the reason why some of the biggest gadolim in EY hae acknowledged that there must be Chareidim drafted simply as a matter of arithmetic.
#5- The Hareidim can be quite brave. Especially if the government goes through with a crack down on their community (note the recent case where they arrested a newlywed girl for draft dodging) and starts trying to close yeshivos for enrolling draft evaders, I believe they will fight very bravely against the medinah. Indeed, giving up most of your parnassah to learn full time, while marrying and producing a large family, displays incredible bravery and discipline – do the zionists really want to divert that bravery and discipline to a fight against the hiloni oppressors?
Many of the “hardal” already serve in the army, though the army tries to weed them. Probably most hareidim who are drafted will gravitate towards the hardal movement. The next time there is a “gush Katif” they fight bravely to defend their families and other Israelis.
Do you think the army will adjust its routines (e.g. ban “fraternization”, among other things) to accomodate frummies. Will they allow for hareidis to be officers (they still aren’t happy with modern orthodox officers – note how they required officer candidates to listen to women singing as a precondition of becoming officers). Will secular Israel allow hareidim equal economic opportunity – if not, you’ll have a lot of very angry, well armed, vets to cope with. It won’t be pretty.
The Israelis are showing all the intelligence of “lemmings” who have just climbed into the water and are about to discover they are trying to swim an ocean. The zionists have already bitten off more than they can chew by waging war on the Muslims – who have over a billion people and several dozen countries (one of which has a substantial nuclear arsenal – albeit tied deterring the Hindus). Now the zionists want to make a major push to erradicate Torah once and for all, and they will likely fail and get the country destroyed in the process.
To No. 6
If you truly believe that giving up your parnassah to have many children you cannot afford and demonstrating your bravery to fight the medinah, than you’ve shown yourself for what you are. Enough said. Hamayvin yavin.
Such whining,
These are the kind of soundes we’re going to hear from ALL Israeli men now”
“Left…Left…Left – I left my wife with bowl of gravey, a bottle of rum and a big fat baby, and I Left..Left…Left…Sound off, 1-2, count off, 3-4 Cadence count, 1-2-3-4, 1- 2- 3-4, eeny meeny miny mo, let’s go back and count some mo, sound off, 1-2, count off, 3-4 Cadence count, 1-2-3-4, 1- 2- 3-4”
The disciplibne does wonders..it is common parlance in the Americam work place that one can general tell when an employee has had military experience…they’re more disciplined, show up on time and are more rsoectfulk of authority…traits not in abundance in Chareidishe circles today.