Chaim Ramon, a former senior Labor Party official, former Kadima MK, former cabinet minister, and major architect behind the new The Movement Party surprised the media on Monday 8 Adar with his share the burden vision. Ramon is close to The Movement leader MK Tzipi Livni.
Ramon feels the concept of ‘sharing the burden’ is not reality in Israel, pointing out that Arabs are not serving because of their nationality. Women don’t serve because of religious beliefs. Nachal Chareidi soldiers serve two years and hesder soldiers 18 months. He questioned why the sudden need to gang up on the chareidim for in essence, sharing the burden does not exist; it is not realistic in Israel.
Speaking to the audience in the Leonardo Plaza Hotel in Yerushalayim last week, Ramon explained feels the state should not demand to recruit chareidim into the IDF, but the state should cancel funding for avreichim. He admits the stipend they receive is nothing to boast about, but when multiplied by tens of thousands of avreichim it amounts to a serious chunk of funding. Ramon wants to take the money given to avreichim and pay soldiers who complete a full three years in the IDF. He announced that using the same budget each could walk away with 150,000 NIS in his pocket for the service instead of funding avreichim who don’t serve and don’t work.
Ramon is not concerned about pulling chareidim into the military, but focuses on bringing them into the workplace. He feels the army does not need of them and talk about drafting 30,000 chareidim is simply ridiculous.
He told his chareidi audience “no one is going to compel you to serve against your will. I know the community and it will not happen. The advances made in recent years will also be lost as a result. First go get a job, go work. This will enable you to integrate more than the army. It will be good for your and society. We must change the economic realities in Israel, which is your reality, and this is the real solution.”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
A breath of fresh air coming from the Left. Unusual.
Not a bad point and probably the end result of the ‘sharing the burden’ legislation.
The left is now much less in love with the idea of the military. Many Jewish leftists also try to avoid the army.
One needs to remember that in economic matters, Hareidim are clearly leftists. And Hareidi rabbanim have generally been fairly dove-ish.
The Israeli left may be looking for a realignment that could brink them back to power (something that has happened in years – 14 years since Labor won an election Israel, which is an eternity for a poltiical movement).
If chareidim are allowed to work, some will make a lot of money and support those who truly are learning. Just like they do in the US.
But enough of this draft nonsense.
it used to be that betuach leumi gave full payments to soldiers and families of men who served in the IDF, and half payments to families who do not serve, meaning yeshiva men and arabs. It was Shulamit Aloni who made the change in the law, saying it was unfair to the Arabs.
Why not renew this law. Those who serve the country are entitled to more and those who do not get less.
He speaks with sense. The problem, it seems, is that if army service is volentary NO ONE will serve. Goodbye army!
The govt. cannot channce that!