It appears that in the eye of all members of the incoming Knesset, with the exception of some chareidim, what existed prior to the disqualification of the Tal Law in the summer of 2011 will not return. Hence the need to reach an working agreement by which those chareidim who are not learning full time enter an appropriate military or national service framework while others continue limud Torah.
There are different visions of how tomorrow’s chareidi draft will look and two prominent opinions are that of outgoing Vice Premier Moshe Ya’alon, a former IDF chief of staff and incoming MK Yair Lapid, who in all likelihood will hold a senior cabinet post due to his party’s success in the elections.
Speaking with Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet on Sunday morning 16 Shevat 5773, Ya’alon reaffirmed his position, the need for dialogue towards reaching the desired results gradually, by mutual understanding. Ya’alon feels the current disproportionate carrying of the national burden cannot continue, but he strongly objects to efforts to compel a solution on the chareidi, for such an effort will backfire.
“I hope that together with Yesh Atid we can reach a solution and find the golden path by which we can correct the situation while avoiding a confrontation,” Ya’alon stated.
LAPID PLAN:
*Phase 1: All bnei yeshiva will be free to enter the workplace at age 18.
*Interim Phase (5 years): A National Service Authority will be established to oversee approved programs. Non-combatant military service time will be reduced.
* Phase 2 (after 5 years): Males and females will be inducted into a two-year military or national service at the age of 18. One serving a third year will receive minimum wage for that year and a scholarship for a college degree following service. A number will be defined for those chareidim permitted to continue learning and receive a draft deferment.
* Chareidim inducted into the IDF will not receive special perks but conditions for soldiers will be improved for all inductees.
* A maximum of 400 talmidim annually will receive a draft deferment.
* The new plan will begin in five years to permit the state to establish a national service induction center.
* There is no need to set goals since in five years; they will all be inducted into the military or national service.
YA’ALON PLAN:
* Phase 1: The age bnei yeshiva can enter the work place will drop from 28 to 26.
* Phase 2: 6,000 chareidim will enter the IDF or an approved national service program by 2016. Those chareidim committing to a minimum of 45 hours limud Torah weekly may seek a draft deferment. Avreichim who fail to maintain their end of the bargain will be drafted and failure to comply will lead to penalties including loss of one monthly stipend.
* Chareidim inducted into the IDF will receive special economic perks for their service.
* Thousands of chareidim will receive deferments annually. No exact number will be set.
* Every yeshiva will set a draft goal and if that goal is not met, there will be a fine.
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5 Responses
Quotas, just like under the Czar. Allow a few hashuva people to stay frum, and require the rest to go off the derekh. Note that the plans include women as well.
With the State of Israel having friends like them, they don’t need enemies. While it would take great effort, don’t put it beyond the hiloni leaders to convince most hareidim that Neturei Karta has been right all along, and we’ld be better off under Muslim rule (remember, Jews never had the right to bear arms under Islamic law – we weren’t even allowed to enlist in the army though the Turks changed that at the very end when they were cutting back on Islamic law).
In a word, “no”.
Wow! So Lapid wants to draft girls too? Doesn’t he know that fifty years ago the Chazon Ish and all the gedolim paskened that that’s yehoreg val ya’avor? How will he get past that?
With Ya’alon’s plan all the yeshivos will be competing to entice “talmidim” who want to be drafted to come “learn” in their yeshivos so that the other talmidim aren’t bothered. It sounds wild.
Why can’t Israel just give deferments to yeshiva students like America did in my days. Is the Israeli supreme court more “democratic” than the American court?
There is a much simpler and much more equitable solution. Abolish the draft. I do not understand why this is not on the political agenda. There is no military need for a draft and it wastes Billions of Shekels every year. I can only speculate that the haters of Torah keep it in order to have a reason to hate us but I do not understand why the “Chareidi” parties do not bring up the issue. Why are all the Rabbis that were pushing so strongly to vote for UTJ so as to save the Benei Yeshiva from the draft not pushing equally as hard to abolish it?
Aryeh Zelasko
Beit Shemesh
“Allow a few hashuva people to stay frum”—During the time of the CZAR, you paid to send someone else’s son to the army. Czar had no concern for chashuva people, you filled a quota and it was usually done with the poor, orphans and those who couldnt pay a bribe. BTW service in the Czar’s army was for 25-30 years not a mere 2 with visits home in the interim.
Is Lapid going to increase the TEL AVIV DRAFT also? Tel Aviv has the highest number of non-serving youth due to leftist, socialist, communist reasons. Hope he will point his finger in that direction soon.