IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz attended a session of the Shaked Committee on Wednesday, 24 Kislev 5774 as the committee finalizes the new chareidi draft law. Committee members have set a goal of the end of November to have the bill ready for final voting in Knesset.
Gantz explained that from the IDF’s perspective, he would like to see chareidim drafted at a young an age as possible. “The younger they are inducted the better for them and the IDF” he explained to the committee. Gantz explained that the older an inductee is the more difficult and costly the service is.
MKs Meir Porush and Moshe Gafne used the forum to once again warn against passing a law that will compel military service on chareidim that carries criminal sanctions. They explained that such a law will lead to confrontations and it will not achieve its intended goal.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
The Russians aimed for 12 year olds.
If their attempt to break 18 year olds fail, they’ll probably ask for younger. Eventually they’ll decide the best solution of the “Hareidi problem” is to get the kids as toddlers and have them raised by good responsible zionist families.
Perhaps its time for the “religious” zionists to admit that “religious” (at least Jewish, i.e., based on Torah) and “zionist” are an inherent contradiction.
It would be socially, morally, legally (and, according to many, halacically) correct to define all draft dodging as criminal.
However, it would be counter-productive if the crime were to be punishable by incarceration – that would just create a comfy road to no-risk ‘martyrdom’ at the taxpayers expense. But if the crime were punishable by fines and loss of government benefits it would not only be justifiable but effective. (The many) charedi boys who would like to serve but who cannot do so today for fear of the repercussions they and their families would suffer at the hands of the charedi establishment would then be free to claim that they have no choice, and the (many) charedi rabbis who believe that they should be serving but require some external justification for altering the present norm would be able to ‘reluctantly’ allow them to serve.
last night while saying ‘al hanisim’ in maariv the first thing that came to my mind was israel. ‘lehashkichom toresecho’ – drafting to the army, ‘ulehavirom me’chukei retzonecha’- new marriage and giyur laws, but then it says ‘ve’atoh berachamecha…Giborim b’yad chalashim,…, temayim b’yad tehorim, ur’shaim b’yad tzadikim’ dont worry in the end with Hashems help we will come out victoriou!!!
Just the same age as evert else
#2 – Was it legal to dodge the czarist draft? Was it legal to disobey an order to report to the Gestapo for deportation? Torah is what gives life to being Jewish. The zionists want to crush Torah out of us. That means this is now (or rather, is about to become once these plans are implemented) a situation of “Shaas ha-Shmad” and we much be moser nefesh (give up our lives) to resist the zionists. The past policy of neutrality and trying to to mind our own business is no longer relveant. It means that in a few months, when (and if) the zionists attempt to implement this “war” on the Bnei Torah, then zionism has the same halachic status as the Nazis – they become a mortal enemy.
It is to be hoped that saner heads will prevail, that Likud and Bayit Yehudi will reconsider. Without them, there is no majority in the kenesset to declare war upon us. But once war is declared, we will defeat them just as we have defeat the Greeks, the Nazis and the Romans – hopefully without bloodshed, but we know from the past that those who come to destroy the Am ha-Torah face consequences that we mere mortals have no control over.
#3- Clearly you have to work on concentrating on the proper kavanah. Perhaps refraining from reading ‘Der Yid’ for a while might help?
I, an Israeli citizen, who voted Gimel in the last election, would like to understand why our parties (D”H, A”Y) approach the current round of anti-Torah legislative posturing in a reactive manner. Why do we not act more proactively?
That is, instead of reacting to the incendiary and inciteful statements and actions of the non-Torah elements in the Knesset, why do we not try to draft legislation of our own? MKs in the Knesset are legislators, framers and creators of the Law. That is what they are paid for, and thus, drafting one law or another does not cost the party anything.
Therefore, instead of trying to convince the non-chareidi representatives of the state necessity for Torah students to study and reiterating the truth that the army is merely a social organization to foist their leftist ideology on everyone, we should draft legislation that will repeal the army draft. Many countries with successful armies have no draft. They get the youth to enlist with incentives. Who cares if it does not get enough votes to pass? It will act as a statement of truth as to where we stand. (It will also save the State oodles of money if it does pass.)
Sharing the burden. The state has forgotten the purpose of an army. Soldiers are supposed to train, not to defend the country, but to become good killers. Unfortunately, all countries with whom we are officially at war, are busy fighting among themselves. And we kill too few of our unofficial enemies. But why does every young person have to become a killer. Those who are good at killing or who want to go into the profession should be encouraged to join the army. The rest of the country should continue to go on being productive. Let צה”ל stand for צבא הריגה לישראל.