Commenting to members of the press while visiting an Intel branch in Kiryat Gat, President Shimon Peres stated “everyone must share the burden”, supporting efforts to draft chareidim into the IDF or a state-approved national service.
President Peres stated there must be negotiations towards reaching mutual agreement but the fact remains that every citizen must fulfill his responsibility in sharing the national burden.
On the same note, MK (Yahadut HaTorah) Moshe Gafne on Wednesday, 14 Tammuz 5772 met with President Peres at his own behest. The president agreed to meet with him in his official residence, aware of the urgency of the matter, the ongoing efforts to legislate a new law addressing the chareidi draft.
Gafne briefed the president on relevant matters regarding the chareidi position and meetings with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. He told Mr. Peres the leaders of the chareidi tzibur will not permit any harm to come to avreichim and it must be understood that anyone declaring he wishes to learn torah fulltime must be permitted to do so.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
This entire debate comes down to a single issue: Is sitting in Kollel learning 24×7 the functional and moral equivalent of serving in the army or performing alternative public service in a hospital etc. According to all polls, the majority (70+ percent) of Israeli voters think NOT. Since it is their votes who elect the MKs, the voters’ decision will hopefully prevail in this debate.
I don’t understand, if the land was given to the Jews on condition they keep the Torah and learn its mitzvos. Like the Torah commands. If so why isn’t the fact that people commit themselves to a life of learning Torah enough? Why isn’t it considered like they did their part for the country? I would have thought its just as crucial for the country.
But, well there is a problem as such, because the number of Charedim are growing, and eventually the country will have a Charedi majority, and it simply won’t be possible to run the country, with the majority doing learning Torah service.
#1 you are so off! Let’s see them compel the chareidi to serve. What are they going to do, arrest everyone? Come on get real (I don’t care if 80% say NOT!)
# 2
In time of Chizkeyuhu Hamelech everyone learned and the country ran just fine.
I agree fully that a person not learning should go to work! Or even serve in a chareidi army.
THE PROBLEM: the army/IDF as is, is not suited for a chareidi person! When our Gedolim decide it is, then and only then will the chareid tzibur serve in the army.
To No. 2
You say that in time of Chizkeyuhu Hamelech everyone learned and the country ran just fine. With all due respect, of what possible relevance is that to the current situation in EY threatened by armies 10x larger than its own. Throughout our history, those who learned also were able to drop their seforim in an instant an pick up a sword to defend their country. Instead, today’s kollel yungerleit wouldn’t know which end of a gun to point at the enemy, would not know how to program an anti-aircraft gun or even how to drive a truck so that others might fight. They would be useless in a time of war and even in peacetime since most don’t have basic life or social skills. Even if the peace was 100 percent guaranteed, the medinah needs farmers,computer prgrammers, factory workers, plumbers, doctors and rocket scientists. EY has enough rabbonim and poskim and yeshiva teachers. It needs more productive citizens who contribute to the economic output of the country and its growth.
IF Share Military THEN Share Torah Study !
“Is sitting in Kollel learning 24×7 the functional and moral equivalent of serving in the army or performing alternative public service in a hospital etc.”
Yes, I believe it is. But no one sits 24×7 learning and that isn’t the issue anyway.
My yeshiva days were twenty years ago but, even then, there were plenty of Israeli boys doing nothing but avoiding the draft and bowing to peer pressure.
They were a burden on the Yeshiva world (ie its supporters in America, UK, etc) then, and now they’re also recognised as a burden on State of Israel, without which (and let’s not be hypocritical) few of us today would go anywhere near Eretz Yisroel.
Is it not time to end this silly conceit which (amongst other things) prevents bright frum boys fulfilling their intellectual potential, participating in Israel’s vibrant commercial life, and enjoying the fruits of their success?
We all know how successful Yeshiva-educated Yidden are in Chutz Lo’oretz. Why should it be any different in Eretz Yisroel HaKodesh?