Former Shas leader Rabbi Aryeh Deri was interviewed by Mordechai Lavi of Kol Berama Radio, permitting him to comment on the recent vandalism attack at Yad Vashem and more.

Deri acknowledged that there have been attacks of this nature in the past, but when vandals decided to strike at Yad Vashem and all that it symbolizes, he explained it is simply “an unacceptable act that must be condemned by Jews of all walks of life,” expressing his hope that the punishment meted out against those responsible when they are apprehended should be severe towards serving as a stern deterrent.

“This is a place located in a chareidi area, Bayit Vegan, a place that world leaders visit to identify with the Holocaust…I agree with you there have been other despicable acts but this one is bad…This is not representative of a group perhaps, but the work of a lone individual but it must be condemned in the harshest words.”

LAVI:

The graffiti said among other things that if Hitler did not exist the Zionists would have invented him. In truth, the vandal never states that Hitler was correct, but the attack is against the Zionists, who are even capable of bringing a Hitler.

DERI:

Rav Mordechai, you are too wise and I know you too well. Let’s not even try to get into the peirush and attempt to justify this before they begin accusing Aryeh Deri and Mordechai Lavi of justifying this attack.

The attack must be condemned and those responsible punished. There is such an ongoing effort towards kiruv and an incident like this blows everything apart. They people are not part of us but they are on their own. I am not certain this is a group of chareidim as some believe, but I believe it is a lone person.

This is also a security blunder. He wrote 15 different graffitis and there are no cameras, no security – nothing whatsoever.

LAVI:

The committee sits and there is so much going on regarding the ‘sharing the burden’. Permit me to ask you how did we get to this point and what can be done.

DERI:

There is no doubt that the High Court dropped a most difficult issue in the Knesset’s lap. There is no doubt that there is a competition between politicians in this area with elections coming in a year. Not everything however can be solved by legislating law. There is a need for agreement.

Even the IDF chief of staff comments on this. Is he a politician? Is he too running for office? What is the reason for his harsh statements? With all due respect, let him deal with the military’s problems and leave this to the military. I can tell you that they talk a big talk but I have spoken with very senior people and the IDF cannot absorb too many chareidim and that is a fact. During top level meetings they speak about sending the chareidim and Arabs to national service but here he speaks a different tune. This is simply pure populist to earn points.

For us this is a big problem but I also feel that we too are guilty. We are incapable of getting the message across that there is a growing number of chilonim from the Gush Dan area that is evading the draft. More and more join this group annually and we don’t get the message across while so many more are learning torah day and night.

We failed to explain the military doesn’t want chareidim and over recent years, the IDF has done its utmost to keep the chareidim out. We failed to explain that the chareidim cannot be drafted against their will because it will not work other than to widen the chasm.

When one needs a healing or medical treatment, we all know how to turn to Rav [Elimelech] Fuehrer or the biggest professors we can find. We must use the modern tools available to us today too and it is most unfortunate we did not utilize them. Today it may be too late – I am not certain but we failed miserably in getting the message out.

LAVI:

I agree and understand but let’s not talk about the problem. Is there a solution here.

DERI:

There is only one solution. For those who honestly and sincerely wish to solve the problem and honestly seek more chareidim in the IDF or national service, they must understand there is no Sanhedrin today and there is no force in the world that can decide two talmidim will continue learning and the others to the army. There is no rosh yeshiva who will do such a thing.

I don’t envy the chareidi MKs in Knesset today. Their job is a most difficult one.

LAVI:

Shaul Mofaz says they will all serve in the IDF.

DERI:

So he says. Let him speak and I say otherwise. What’s the difference? On the other hand look at the coalition agreement which brought Kadima in and it says to set a number. I am in favor of this too.

There are many chareidim who are not learning and they must be taken by force but those who wish to learn must remain. I am telling you with absolute certainty that if they take those who want to enter the IDF but are not accepted and those who don’t learn that will be sufficient for ten years and let’s stop the populism and campaigning. This is enough to build many new battalions in the IDF.

If they wish to continue on the current path, to compel people, then there will be a true ideological war and then the IDF will become absolutely prohibited, prohibited to all, even those serving and wishing to serve today. They set a very high bar and have no way down at the moment.

What nonsense. Does someone really believe he is going to draft Arabs by force? Please, it simply is not going to happen. When I say it or my chareidi MK colleagues no one listens so it will have to come from another place. If they try to force our hand, they will lose the chareidim they have today.

What is this that the chief of staff announces “Am Yisrael will stop being suckers and it’s time to share the load”. Is this something the chief of staff should be saying?

LAVI:

The real problem we face is the illegal aliens. You once said we cannot simply throw them all on a plane and oust them. Do you still feel this way?

DERI:

Let’s get real and put things in proportion. Yesterday they made a big media splash how 300 people were sent home. They did not mention that an additional 255 entered the country illegally on the same day.

This is the single biggest failure, the open border, and thousands have entered and continue to enter and this will not change until the physical barrier is completed.

This is not the same as a few individuals like during the days of Menachem Begin when he took them from the boat at sea, the refugees from Vietnam.

I feel that we must be compassionate and make out contribution but that does not include taking in 60,000 – 80,000 people. We are not capable of this. It is time to speak less and do more. I cannot understand how this was ignored for so long. My advice is to do much more and speak a great deal less.

This problem is far far from solved for as long as the border is open, we throw out 10 or 20 and others run to the courts and in the meantime, hundred continue to enter. It has become like car accident statistics. Every day they announce how many illegals made it across the border.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)