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| Agudah Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Shlomo Werdiger (Mishpacha) |
One might be surprised that I say this at a moment in time when we are more united than ever. Which is of course true. Tragedy almost always brings about unity. But that is exactly my point. Based on the history of our many tragedies (even in our own time that unity is at best ephemeral. I doubt it will last very long after the war against Hamas ends. We will surely get back to politics as usual which prior to October 7th was as divisive as ever. Sadly there is little doubt in my mind about that.
And yet there are a few optimists among observant Jews that are holding out hope it can last if we work on it by expanding upon the ‘no atheists in a fox hole’ phenomenon. One of the things that has happened as a result of the Hamas attack and the war that followed is the sense of Jewish identity that seemed to have occurred among secular soldiers in the IDF. An identity that includes concrete religious acts. Some have even expressed interest in becoming completely observant.
It is with that in mind that Agudah’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Shlomo Werdiger, sent out a post convention email which in part said the following:
This year, the convention theme was a “Call to Action,”
His voice cracking with emotion, (keynote speaker, Rabbi Yosef Elefant) spoke about a “rare opportunity,” a window which hasn’t opened since the Yom Kippur war. Thousands of soldiers who were completely apathetic to religion (at best), are suddenly grasping tzitzis strings for dear life, wrapping tefillin around their arms with reverence.
What happens in a month? What happens when the war ends- with Hashem’s help, bekarov mamesh? What’s stopping them from giving those tefillin a final kiss goodbye and giving them to the first religious person they see.
We have to be ready. We can’t react- we have to act first. That was the call to action…
When our soldiers lay down their weapons, in good health and happiness, finally taking a moment to catch their breath, we will be ready, following the vision outlined by Rav Yosef.
Ready not to just to welcome them, but to greet them as brothers. Thousands of talented, dynamic, passionate yungeleit will be waiting with open gemaros and open hearts, ready to stimulate, to answer, to challenge and to ignite.
The achdus in the streets and the emunah on the battlefield must not be allowed to fade: with Hashem’s help, they will be turned into life itself, into neshamos, and ultimately, into kvod Shamayim.
Whether this will happen or how effective they will be remains to be seen. But I give them credit for trying to reach out.
That being said, their one way approach is troubling. I cannot overlook the fact that despite their desire to form a bond with secular soldiers, that Agudah still rejects any semblance of recognition for the state of Israel. They make that clear in a number of ways. Such as never referring to the country as ‘Israel’ but only as ‘Eretz Yisroel. And although they are praying for the soldiers and are concerned with their lives and welfare, they still vehemently oppose serving in the IDF.
I’ve expressed the following thoughts before. But they bear repeating in this context
What is also troubling to me is Agudah’s absolute refusal to say the special prayer for the safety of the soldiers. Which was composed decades ago by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate. Their refusal to do so when the very soldiers they want to reach out to are currently risking their lives protecting the Jewish people (all of them including Charedim like themselves) is hard for me to swallow. It contradicts the very spirit of unity they are seeking. I would be willing to bet that during the entire Agudah convention weekend it was not uttered at all in any of the Minyanim that took place there. That prayer was studiously avoided. I’m sure it’s because they believe saying that prayer gives tacit legitimacy to the state.
This is not to say that they did not pray at all for the welfare of the soldiers. I’m sure they did. They probably recited some chapters of Tehilim and concluded with the all inclusive generic prayer for ‘our brothers - the children of Israel’. Which is said in most Shuls every Monday and Thursday after the reading of the Torah.
That kind of rejection and intolerance of even religious Zionism cannot possibly sit well with an idealistic IDF recruit. Who - although expressing a desire to be more observant - is risking his life for his people and his country.
I am disappointed but not surprised. It is all well and good to seek unity. But it should not be a one way street. If Agudah wants to achieve unity, they could start by saying the specific prayer for the IDF. They don’t have to become Zionists or even religious Zionists to do that. What they do need to do is recognize that religious Zionism is a valid expression of Judaism even if they don’t agree with it. They need to adopt an Elu V’Elu approach. Which reciting the prayer for the IDF would demonstrate. That would lend more credibility to their ‘Call to Action’ mission.