Dozens of Charedi protesters blocked roads in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak on Sunday as Israel’s Supreme Court heard arguments in a landmark case challenging a controversial system of exemptions from military service granted to lomdei torah.
The court is looking at the legality of the exemptions, which have divided the country and threatened to collapse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition. A decision is expected in the coming weeks.
Most Jewish men and women in Israel are required to serve mandatory military service at the age of 18. But Charedim have traditionally received exemptions if they are studying full-time in Yeshivos. These exemptions have infuriated the wider general public, especially as hundreds of soldiers have been killed in the war with Hamas.
During Sunday’s arguments, government lawyers told the judges that forcing Charedi men to enlist would “tear Israeli society apart.” The court suggested a target of enlisting 3,000 Charedi men a year – more than double the current levels but still less than 25% of their overall numbers.
In Jerusalem, Israeli police cleared protesters from roads, and forcefully removed those who briefly blocked the city’s light rail. Demonstrators chanted “to prison and not to the army.”
In March, the court ordered an end to government subsidies for many Charedi men who do not serve in the army.
Netanyahu faces a court-ordered deadline of June 30 to pass a new law that would end the broad exemptions. But he depends on Charedi parties to prop up his government, and ending the exemptions could cause them to leave and trigger new elections.
(AP/YWN)
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9 Responses
In Tanach, in Sefer Shmuel Aleph, chapter 18, verse 7,
we see Shaul HaMelech and the General of Shaul’s Army,
David ben Yishai. (This was before David became King.)
They are both returning home from recent victory in war.
We see the Jewish women publicly praising both of them:
“SHAUL HAS SLAIN HIS THOUSANDS AND
DAVID [HAS SLAIN] HIS TENS OF THOUSANDS.”
From this we see that the soldiers who fight our enemies
deserve to be publicly praised and thanked.
=========================================
In Tanach, Sefer Shoftim, [the Book of Judges] chapter 5,
the Prophetess Deborah [Devorah HaNeviyah],
sings a Divinely-inspired song [shirah].
In chapter 5, verses 12 to 16, she publicly praises
those Jews who fought against the enemies of Israel.
Then she publicly REBUKES those Jews who did
NOT join the fight against the enemies of Israel.
I am wondering why YWN left the captions from the AP intact with the words “Ultra-Orthodox”. This is a somewhat pejorative term that secular society uses to describe religious extremism. The young men and boys in the pictures look like Torah Jews to me.
These protests are counter productive. All they do is anger both religious and non-religious Jews trying to drive somewhere and are stuck in traffic because of these hoodlums. In theory, I totally agree to their cause. However, in practice I am totally opposed.
If they would line the sidewalks with signs protesting the court’s decision, I’m sure many people would join them. In time, the protesters would line the sidewalks for miles and this would get people to have second thoughts about backing the courts. It’s possible that societal opinion would change and the courts would need to back down.
Those who have time to demonstrate should go to the army. Those who have no time for such things because והגית בו יומם ולילה should not go and should not be forced to go.
The Supreme Court doesn’t care about Torah and its protective powers. But they might consider the effect the draft would have on the Israeli society and the IDF. The IDF doesn’t really want the Chareidim since they would have to accommodate their needs. The demonstrations might show the SC that the Chareidim are more trouble then good for the army.
“It’s possible that societal opinion would change and the courts would need to back down.”
And if not?
More pressure needs to be put on the ISC.
I notice the article does not mention that some demonstrators ripped up posters of dead soldiers. I guess you have to read other media to get the whole story.
Milhouse > Those who have time to demonstrate should go to the army.
Indeed, this shows that a part of the community is ready to fight for what they consider important. So, the argument that they are too busy is N/A. Can as well fight to defend their brothers from terrorists.