Supporters of drafting chareidim into the military can boast a minor victory as MK (Yahadut HaTorah) Rav Moshe Gafne now admits there are members of the chareidi tzibur who may be drafted since not everyone is cut out to sit and learn.

This represents a major change in direction from the MK’s former position, for in the past he and others felt the IDF provided a treif atmosphere that was unfitting for chareidim. Today he feels those not capable of learning fulltime should be drafted into one of the appropriate programs available. It appears the military’s establishing additional units seeking to cater to a chareidi lifestyle accompanied by the realization the Tal Law is gone have resulted in a new reality in Israel and a new outlook by Gafne.

Last week Gafne took part in a panel in the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya alongside Aryeh Deri (Shas), Amir Peretz (Labor) and Limor Livnat (Likud).

Gafne was praised as being the number one spokesman of the chareidi camp and he was asked why the chareidim have “married” the right-wing, to which he responded “we are not married. We are still single”, explaining “the main thing is the kallah should be well off”.

After the tzibur had a good laugh Gafne continued explaining that it was not too long ago when the chareidim were aligned with the center-to-left, referring to Kadima, adding that at the time Tzipi Livni made the same promises to the chareidim as did Likud but they felt Livni was more likely to keep her word. He spoke of how Kadima assisted the yeshivos with legislation for funding and extending the Tal Law.

When asked what issues remain at the forefront of Yahadut HaTorah today, Gafne stated that would be social issues and the Jewish identity of the state.

He stressed the party is concerned with social issues, pointing out Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman spearheaded the reform to provide dental care for the nation’s children as a primary example. He cited that over the past years, Yahadut HaTorah has been involved in legislation focusing on assisting the lower class. “I am in the Knesset Finance Committee and we have addressed a million things; failing factories that have been ignored by the state, thousands of employees who would have been tossed into the streets. I wasn’t afraid of the tycoons or other things – I helped them all.”

CHAREIDI DRAFT

The discussion then shifted to the item of the chareidi draft. The veteran MK explained some parties have decided to make this “the” issue and they are banking their election agenda on the chareidi draft issue, the ‘sharing the burden’, the slogan that has snowballed into pointing an accusing finger at the chareidi tzibur at large.

He feels that is an error in judgment, stating confidently “This won’t bring votes. I am in Knesset many years and I am telling it is a mistake”, using Kadima as an example. “Kadima is presently 28 mandates and instead of growing to 60 it is down to three mandates the polls show”. He blames Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz’s short sightedness, basing his entire campaign on bringing chareidim into the army. “Labor on the other hand, which today has eight mandates shows a climb to 23 because it is focusing on social issues.”

Gafne explained that to be an avreich and sit and learn all day every day requires enormous strength and not everyone is up to this. “Today, there are thousands entering the workplace, going to the IDF…the government has set goals regarding a chareidi draft in the coming years. On the other hand, one cannot try to compel one who learns Torah to be drafted.”

“I am willing and capable of running the country,” he explained, adding “If I was the prime minister, I would pass a law that one who truly studies Torah is serving the nation and the others, they should be enlisted into the various programs available.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)