As members of the Ministerial Committee on sharing the burden headed by Minister Yaakov Peri (Yesh Atid) convened on Monday 11 Sivan 5773, it appears the committee favors sanctions against chareidi draft evaders. There has been disagreement on the matter, with some favoring sanctions against yeshivos but not against individuals; however it now appears the committee will recommend both.
This being the case, a talmid yeshiva failing to report for duty will be listed as AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave) as is done with non-frum inductees. In addition, Bituach Leumi (National Insurance Institute) payments to said individual will be halted and he will be prohibited from leaving the country. The avreich will also lose arnona property tax and other reductions, and therefore, he will lose his status since all payments will halt. Committee members feel this is far more practical than sending military police to track down thousands of AWOL soldiers.
As the committee continues formulating the new chareidi draft law, organizers of last week’s protest outside the IDF Jerusalem Induction Center have already announced they are working on the next rally, which they believe will bring at least 100,000 participants. While that protest brought 40,000 people according to Israel Police, organizers feel that if HaGaon HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita, Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita, the Belzer Rebbe Shlita, the Gerrer Rebbe Shlita and other Gedolei Yisrael Shlita back the effort, they can easily bring 100,000 plus participants.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
A “draft evader” is someone who tries to cheat to avoid getting drafted, such as faking an illness. Most countries regard them as criminals.
A “draft resistor” is someone who state openly that he is refusing to serve in the military. When done for reasons of religious or conscience, they are regarded as highly principled (e.g. entitled to refugee status in most countries, persecution of them violates international human rights law).
Once they start their first aktion against the yeshiva students, it will be a virtual declaration of war on Torah. The “hot heads” will switch from throwing diapers to throwing things that explode. The overtures already being made to the Arabs will be louder. It will be the end of the zionist era – and there is no way knowing what comes next. Perhaps the zionists will back down, but perhaps they feel this is the time they can finally realize their dream of a Jewish homeland free from the yoke of Torah. It won’t be pretty.
Aktion is a term used to describe the nazis gathering up of Jews for slaughter. It is not a term that should be used regarding financial penalties, no matter how unfair, against whom you call draft resistors. Because of people like you whose talk is cheap charedi children regularly call Israeli soldiers and police nazis.
whoo amar “pen yirba” and we say “kein yirba”… the more sanctions, the more support from the chareidi world.
keep it coming yah-ear
You don’t pay property tax unless you have property. The primary national insurance benefits are to families with children – and neither the mother nor the baby are draft resistors (and politically, subsidizing the children of convicted terrorists, but not children of yeshiva students, won’t go over well with many zionist voters). The could cut off access to the national health insurance system, but that risks some embarassing situations. In fact, most yeshiva students are judgement-proof.
Which is why, according to the hiloni press, Peri is talking about prison, as well as fines for yeshivos (not just loss of government subsidies) – and the fines would be paid from private funds (i.e. from money raised abroad).
#2- Akuperma doesn’t care about referring to “hilonim” as nazis. This is his tafkid in life. More important to him than Torah and mitzvos. Makes me ill.