State Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein on Tuesday, 24 Tammuz approved the Peri Ministerial Committee draft plan for a new chareidi draft law, to replace the Tal Law.
However, Weinstein stated that while he is approving it, the new law does not actually represent a fair sharing of the burden since chareidim are permitted to push off military service until the age of 21. However, he stresses the bill is in line with the law so he is approving it.
It is likely however that petitions will be filed with Israel’s High Court of Justice and the latter will disqualify questionable sections of the bill, such as the option given to a ben Torah to continue limud until entering the military at the age of 21. To ready his office for such an eventuality, Weinstein instructed his deputy, Dina Zilber, to prepare a legal position brief regarding questionable clauses of the bill.
Zilber feels that permitting one to begin serving at the age of 21 and having a national service option are both problematic issues from a ‘sharing the burden’ perspective since it perpetuates the inequality with other sectors of the nation serving in the IDF. She suggests that these problematic issues remain and the bill can be moved along with a provisory the issues may be amended in line with the need at any specific time. The attorney general also feels the 17-month military service by hesder talmidim is problematic for it too is far from an equal sharing of the burden. However, since it will not be relevant for a number of years, the decision is being made to move the bill along in the interest of time and address questionable issues at a later date.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
1. The hiloni media are not expecting serious resistance or evasion. As has happened in the past with secular Israelis, they expect almost everyone drafted to show up and join the army. If that doesn’t happened, they will be shocked – and feel challenged. The hilonim haven’t had time to think through the implications of having unmotivated and potentially disloyal soldiers (which hasn’t been a problem for the IDF in the past), and haven’t started to consider the implications of doing something that will serious hurt Israel’s international standing (since international human rights standards protect religious conscientious objection).
2. There still is time for Israel to consider conscientious objection (at least for those who hold the state is treff, and that the zionists are rodefim meaning there is no heter to kill the Arabs). They also can decide that those who refuse to serve are psychologically unfit for military service, but that would enable them to become gainfully employed which may be a problem for the hilonim. They might target initial call-ups at those who would have enlisted anyways (e.g. into the Nahal Hareidi) rather than starting with established non-zionist yeshivos.
I am truly amazed at the suicidal hatred of the secular Israelis towards the religious community in their midst.
Evidently, they are prepared to stir up a civil war that will divide and weaken the country internally at a time when the Middle East is exploding all around them.
Sheer, malevolent stupidity!
The Chazon Ish zt”l ruled that joining Tzahal falls under the prohibition of “lo sinaf”.
BRING IT ON !
#4 – you realize that if the government tries to force a confrontation (i.e. attempts to conscript the yeshiva students, with mass arrests when they resist), the result will be a serious undermining of Israel’s international status (most of the world is considering sanctions due to occupation of Arab lands, but most of the world recognizes Jews have claims to — but with Israel making it clear that traditional Jews are not welcome in Israel it sort of undermines Israel’s claims). If Israel is treated like any other third world country engaging in ethnocentric policies and religious persecutions, it will mean sanctions that will hurt. At the same time, the army will be seriously weakened by disloyal and disobedient soldiers.
So unless “About time” is working for Hamas, he shouldn’t be anxious to “bring it on”.
#3 That is a made up statement, prove it in writing.
Ravs Shach, Shmulevitz, Shlessiger and Schwartzmen sent talmidim to enlist in Shalav B after completing many years of learning in Yeshiva so that they could benefit from employement and fringe post-IDF grants.
#6 – if instead of planning to conscript all yeshiva students, the army enlisted hareidi baal ha-battim, and assuming they made sure there would be an end to anti-religious harassment and incitement in the army, they would get a large number of motivated and willing volunteers. The rabbanim you cited were always pro-zionist, as indicated by their willingness to accept money from the government (pure Hareidim such as the Eidah Haredis never took zionist money). It’s no accident that the phrase “to take the king’s schilling” meant to sell yourself to the army for a bit on gelt.
Instead the zionists targetted the yeshivas. They’ve announced their intention to go to war. Those who have been volunteering to serve in the army, perhaps a quarter to half of hareidim apparently do end up in the IDF or alternative service at some point, will now be forced to decide between Torah and the army, and most will probably choose the former. Its clear that the zionists goal is not to enhance the army but to attempt to destroy the yeshiva world – and if the fight comes to pass, its likely to have traumatic effects on both sides.