On Wednesday 19 Shevat 5773 President Shimon Peres is expected to begin marathon talks with party leaders towards handing the presidential mandate to form a coalition government to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu will then work to form the 19th Knesset and the 33rd cabinet of the State of Israel.
According to a Maariv report, Yahadut Hatorah has been quite busy behind the scenes, and while MKs continue to publically condemn efforts to draft bnei yeshivos, they are exerting tenacious efforts towards opening a door that will permit them to join the coalition. The report states the faction members have even discussed accepting Vice Premier Moshe Ya’alon’s plan for drafting bnei Torah.
The faction members met on Sunday, 16 Shevat, and they even phoned Ya’alon in the hope of obtaining a deeper understanding of his plan. The phone call was between the vice premier and Yaakov Litzman along with other faction members. Ya’alon detailed his vision for creating a new reality to replace the Tal Law, which entails a gradual draft of bnei Torah as well as a system of disqualifying privileges received by avreichim if they do not comply with the new reality. Ya’alon opposes fines and jail terms for draft dodgers, but supports halting their monthly allowances and other ‘consequences’ to encourage compliance.
Ya’alon explained a stringent inspection system for Bnei Torah will be in place, including the use of biometric technology to make certain those committed to limud a minimum of 45 hours weekly do just that. He suggests lowering the age one may receive a deferment from 28 to 26 in phase one of his program, while setting a target draft goal of 6,000 Bnei Torah by 2016 instead of the 2,400 serving today.
One should realize that under the old Tal system, avreichim were actually locked in, for if they left beis medrash before 28 they were compelled to enter the IDF. This prevented them from obtaining legal employment. The Ya’alon system lowers the age by two years, viewed as a positive step by many.
Ya’alon told Litzman and his colleagues that he opposes the plans presented by Yochanan Plesner and Yair Lapid. Plesner envisions that by 2016, only 1,500 Bnei Torah will continue to receive draft deferments annually. Lapid’s plan is even more daring, envisioning a ceiling of 400 Bnei Torah annually. Ya’alon does not believe in setting a ceiling for the maximum number of chareidim who will continue learning.
Litzman told Ya’alon that if Yesh Atid leader Lapid remains uncompromising on his plan, they simply cannot enter the coalition. On the other hand, they explained “we can live with your plan” which addresses a gradual increase in the draft, but does not set a ceiling for the number of bnei Torah continuing to learn. “We won’t vote in favor of the plan, but we will not break off talks if your plan comes up for a vote.”
Ya’alon explained that he is trying the positive approach, telling Maariv “in recent years, larger numbers of chareidim are serving. 3,000 chareidim serving today is meaningful. Yahadut Hatorah officials have informed me that my plan is not a matter of ייהרג ובל יעבור (be killed but don’t transgress) for them. This is the plan I present before them today.”
Maariv quotes Yahadut Hatorah officials as saying “we understand we must prepare for new alternatives and therefore we have begun studying our options.”
The source is quoted as adding, “One option is to go with the Lapid plan which buys five years time, which is an eternity in Israel, realizing that in five years everything can change around.”
Yahadut Hatorah and Shas have reached agreement regarding the induction of bnei Torah, with both parties ageing to oppose any solution forced upon them as well as opposing ceilings as to the number of talmidim permitted to continue limud Torah annually.
In the faction meeting held on Monday, 17 Shevat, Menachem Eliezer Moses is quoting as saying “Do you think that if we don’t accept Lapid’s plan they will take all the bnei yeshivos to prison? Do you have a clue how expensive it is to keep a prisoner, quite! What is this share the burden? Did you see how we went to prison with the Emanuel school affair? So too will we fill the jails here.”
Litzman added the party plans to fulfill its responsibility. “We went into the elections with an agenda and it’s time to make good on this. We will do as we must to the last detail.”
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5 Responses
The important points to look for are:
1. NO punitive sanctions for those refusing to go to the army other than loss of government benefits (which anti-zionist hareidi don’t accept anyways). Even if only 5% of hareidim refuse to serve in the military, none of the remaining 95% will be comfortable serving in an army that is persecuting other Yidden for being frummer than they are.
2. Are there quotas? A problem arises with a system where the frum community has to produce a certain number of conscripts (similar to the system used in Russia in the early 19th century). However Yaalon’s plan sets a quota for yeshivos – they have to turn over a certain number of students each year (chosen by lottery, perhaps based on whose family contributes the most money, yichus, protectsia, etc.). Needless to say, the process of selecting which Jews would be turned over to the Czar led to a serious undermining of the traditional leadership of the community, and to massive shmad in the following century.
3. Is there a provision for full accomodation of religious practices in the army – which probably means a massive increase in segregated units? Will there be laws to prevent discrimination against hareidi veterans when they seek work in the secular economy, which at present routinely discriminates against hareidim.
Do Rabbanim indeed accept that those who are not sitting and learning to join the secular in the IDF? What will be with yiddishkeit in a short while, esp. from the weaker ones chas veshalom? Hashem yerachem.
As long as this sharing the burden thing does not apply to all citizens equally, including Arabs and those self-proclaimed elites from Tel Aviv, there’s no reason for chareidim to be the guinea pigs and “share the burden”.
If Arabs do not have to join the army they should not receive government funding either.
apukerma and Athought and so many others keep on perpetuating the myth that the normal way of living is learning and not working.Over all our history ,this was restricted to very few people and I believe that many , many thousands of avreichim will indeed avail themselves of the possibility of leading normal lives. The government will certainly accept a compromise where a large percentage of avreichim share in the general burden of the country-not necessarily the army but certainly social work and the like. The spiritual danger is exxagerated. We lived like normal human beings for centuries and adapted to our surroundings. It is inexorable that this will happen in eretz yisroel too.
If ‘share the burden’ is depended on serving in the IDF, all benefits given to Terrorists and potential terrorists plus secular/liberal/anti-military youths should be cut immediately.
Chardei parties should be involved with upgrading the religious environment in the army so that those who join are able within reason to continue with a Torah observance.
#1 the “provision for full accomodation of religious practices in the army” needs to be implemented before any of these can “really happen”. No more forced attendance at army functions where women are singing and an standard of kashrus acceptable to the charedei community.