Responding to mounting ‘share the burden efforts’, efforts to pass legislation to compel chareidim to serve in the IDF, MK (Yahadut Hatorah) Yaakov Asher, a former mayor of Bnei Brak, had harsh words for supports of share the burden legislation.
Asher feels little regarding the chareidi tzibur is really known and understood. He reflects on the days he served as mayor of Bnei Brak, and how he told others he does not require instructions, but the tools to act and do what must be done. He uses Bnei Brak to show Finance Minister Lapid just how well chareidim can run affairs when permitted to do so. He cites how once upon a time the chareidi city was in a dire fiscal reality and today it is flourishing.
Asher explained that “despite not learning core subjects, there is no other sector in Israel so involved in public service and chessed” like the chareidim. Asher admonished pro-share the burden MKs, advising them to refrain from giving mussar to chareidim until they have had a good look at their lifestyles and communities. Asher remains confident that yeshivos will endure as they always have.
He added that HaGaon HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita told him that “if we have reached a situation that avreichim are worried, concerned and afraid regarding draft efforts, then they have succeeded in part. HKBH wants us to sit and learn quietly. HKBH loves one who cries with his tefilos and is concerned with the world of Torah. One who is a non-believer cannot get it and will never get it, just what the Torah world is. They have been trying to harm the Torah world for years; albeit without success B”H. we must continue in our path, without coercion and force” Rav Shteinman is quoted as telling Rav Asher.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
What he doesn’t say, probably because he is to polite and mentchlicht, is that the real issue is NOT the inability of hareidim to function in the modern world, but rather that a considerable portion of the zionist elites regard the existence of hareidi Jews as an affront to their culture. Based on experience with similar sorts of bigotry (e.g. the Germans hatred of Jews 80 years ago), no amount of logic will convince them otherwise (in the end, HaShem manipulated the American, British and Soviet governments to convince the Germans).
“Weiss remains confident that yeshivos will endure as they always have.”
Are you prehaps mixing up Yakov Asher with Rav Asher Weiss?