Addressing the Sderot Conference Minister Yaakov Peri opted to address ongoing efforts to complete a new chareidi draft law. “The time has come to stop differentiating between secular and chareidi blood. We cannot continue like this. An entire sector of society cannot continue watching from the sidelines and say the problems of the state are not mine.”
Peri and his Yesh Atid party is remaining firm in their demand that the new chareidi draft law contain criminal sanctions against those who fail to comply. They are unwilling to compromise on this issue for they feel one who does not honor a draft notice belongs in jail, nothing less.
He did mention ongoing efforts by Ayelet Shaked and her Bayit Yehudi party, as they are seeking to replace criminal sanctions with financial sanctions for non-compliance. Peri made his party’s position crystal clear, stating there will be no compromise whatsoever. He stressed that the law must include an amended penal code which defines one who does not comply as a law-beaker, nothing less.
Regarding the critics of criminal sanctions, Peri told his audience the chareidim can avoid this simply by abiding by the law. He concluded by stressing the point, that one who opts not to comply with the law compelling military service will find himself on the other side of the law facing the consequences of his actions.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Neturei Karta totally agrees. They believe that the Hareidi community should actively work to bring about the destruction of the zionists and the establishment of an autonomous hareidi commonwealth living at peace with the goyim. Until this year, it is doubtful if Neturei Karta had more than a few dozen members.
UP to now most hareidi leaders disagree with Neturei karta and favor the hareidi community minding its own business and not getting involved in the zionist war. While it would be nice if the zionists did tseuvah, the important thing is that the Bnei Torah be left alone to do mitsvos and learn Torah. since Jewish survival in the long run is a function of Torah and Mitsvos, not who controls governments. The militarism and the notorious perversions of the zionists are bad, but having to shoot at fellow Jews is problematic. That is why the hareidim have supported staying neutral. However it appears that agenda of Yesh Atid is directed at discrediting the bulk of the hareidi rabbanim, and validating the position that Neturei Karta has long advocated.
It is difficult for Peri and his fellow unJews to understand that it is they who are on the sidelines and that it is the Torah Jews who are the main event.
“The time has come to stop differentiating between secular and chareidi blood. We cannot continue like this. An entire sector of society cannot continue watching from the sidelines and say the problems of the state are not mine.” – AMEN.
“Peri and his Yesh Atid party is remaining firm in their demand that the new chareidi draft law contain criminal sanctions against those who fail to comply.” – As long as the penalty is only monetary (i.e., a fine, loss of eligibility for government funds etc.) – OK.
Akuperma, you are essentially correct. Most chareidi leaders, while opposing zionism more or less accepted the staes existence as a “fact on the ground” with something of a laissez faire approach: leave us alone and we will leave you alone. Unforunately, while this worked for a while, the clash we are now seeing was inevitable.
Regardless of individual opinions on the matter, the simple fact is that zionism has from its inception sought to displace Jewish religious identity with a national identity (ala the other nations of the world). Religious identity was thus seen not only as competition for the hearts and minds of the Jewish people but also as the primary OBSTACLE to rebranding Jews as a “modern” nation on the European model. And, like other nationalist/socialist models of the early 20th century it is utterly intolerant of dissent; It seeks to eradicate dissenting, alternative views.
In the end, zionsim and the religion cannot coexist. After all, how can to disparate ideologies peacefully coexist when one feels compelled to eradicate the other? While for many years, many of our gedolim hoped some sort of middle position could be worked out, those things that drive their adversaries will never let them rest.
Slowly but surely, the vast majority of frum people will come around . Already, young men who are not full-time learners are looking at other options such as careers and joing the IDF. The ultra anti-Zionist rabbis will lose their control grip on inquisitive “normal” bochorim who want an education along with Torah. There already is an ongoing resentment of young people against being chained in an unhealthy negative thought environment and want to break free. They’re no taking at face value that Zionism is anti-Torah, propaganda that has been force-fed to them since infancy.
Those who believe that by sheer birth numbers of chareidi, they will at some point win is delusional.
Many are already not in agreement with their respective groups and many, many more will not accept group- think as they develop and mature. It’s not a question of birth rate, it’s a question of which sane and positive message will prevail. I’m confident of the latter.