Speaking with Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) on Tuesday morning, 25 Adar I 5774, MK (Yahadut Hatorah) R’ Yisrael Eichler was questioned regarding the Shaked Committee and new draft law.
Eichler spoke of the significance of the historical meeting of the rabbonim shlita of the Moetzas Gedolei Hatorah of Degel Hatorah, Agudas Yisrael and Shas in Bnei Brak, and the fact that all of the rabbonim in the chareidi communities feel the inclusion of criminal sanctions in the draft law is a declaration of war against the chareidi tzibur at large.
In his usually unabashed statements, Eichler explained this is the same old story, for the battle to compel the chareidi education system to conform to the secular state has been ongoing and chareidim have been under fire for 200 years. Eichler insists that “thousands and tens of thousands” of chareidim are ready and anxious to work, yet that are prevented from doing so because of the laws of the secular state. He rejects allegations that chareidim are unskilled and uninterested in working, questioning why the secular state does not recognize the merit of years of limud Torah and why only “your” degrees are recognized in the workplace. Eichler stressed “we don’t want your favors or favors from anyone” explaining there is no place for a chareidi Jew in the IDF for as long as the military fails to meet a basic acceptable standard. “We won’t throw our child off the roof” he explained, stressing that no matter what the threat or sanctions, it will not work for the rabbonim will not permit the state to wipe out the next generation as it succeeded in doing with the aliyah from Yemen and other N. African countries in the 1950s.
Eichler explained there are no comparable laws in the USA and that is why so many more chareidim are employed, for they are not blocked and discriminated against in the workplace.
“We must prevent a Lapid from entering a china shop and burning all the bridges that have been built between chareidim and chilonim and dati leumi, and while I know that chilul shabbos brings awful things on us, I don’t dare try to impose this on you yet you wish to impose your educational and life standards on us” he shouted excitedly. “The criminal sanctions are a declaration of war against an entire sector, numbering over 1 million strong, and by the way, it is also anti-democratic.”
“When one comes to your field you must protest and that is what is being done – above all Chilul Hashem that HKBH does not say ‘they declared war on my Torah and the rabbis remained silent’ and you must understand this is what is happening. If it will help or not remains in Hashem’s hands alone”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
well said articulately stated and with force. we are not on the defense the kofrim of this state need to defend their position. we hvae the ribbono sel olam on our side and they have chilul shabbos corruption and kefirah on their side.
If lapid leaves the coalition Will the frum parties join if they get a fair bill
#2- Likud and Bayit Yehudi will need a face saving way since their own constituents don’t want to agree to hareidim getting a “good deal.” However changes in yeshiva funding to tie it to army service (but leaving welfare state benefits for hareidi non-veterans at a level no worse than what Arab non-veterans get) might satisfy them. As a sweetener, they could agree to overrule the Supreme Court decision restricting benefits and preferences to veterans (on the theory they discriminate). The agreement needs to take the form of a Basic Law (constitutional amendment) which requires a 61 seat majority to enact.
The secularist are terrified. Time is on the side of the chareidim. Kool
and what’s wrong with implementing a hezder yeshiva like approach, which has succesfully been bridging the learning-army gap for well over 40 years??
azny -An offer for an hareidi hesder type program, perhaps ones that would allow soldier to spend mornings learning, and coupled with financial incentives, might go over well IF IT WAS OFFERED FOR VOLUNTEERS. It is the fact that passing a law requiring Jews tgo give up learning is not acceptable.
And the hilonim regard “hesder” as a failure and they want to abolish it. It is also a program for those planning to be “BAAL HA-BATTIM” as only a handful go from hesder to full time careers in learning.