Israel is very different from the US and all other countries that have volunteer armies. The US population is 331 million and Israel is 9 million of which only 3/4 are Jewish. The natural threat to Israel of its neighbors is not an issue to be minimized. The only reason why Ben Gurion initially agreed to the deferment for yeshiva students is bec. it was a minute number (400). Think one corner of the Mir. Since then it has increased 15,000%.
To make the issue of the army as “they just want to shmadzach our shevet Levi” is not accurate. It is not realistic to expect the burden of conscription to be placed on a population that will eventually become the minority. I think the issue needs to be addressed from all sides without the basis of “that is the way it has always been done”.
True, I did not sign up for the US armed forces but that is bec. they can manage without me as we see. If that reality changed and it became necessary to conscript I would not fight it. I would not want to go but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. I don’t like to pay taxes or jury duty and try to get out of both in any legal way. But I also realize that there are some things that are unavoidable. I don’t look at the the IRS as a bunch of Nazis trying to take away my religious freedom.
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