Charedi Activists and Philanthropists in America

Charedi protests against the draft begin (TOI)

I was once again appalled reading over the weekend about the sheer gall of so many wealthy activists in the Charedi world, (right here in America) - referring to it as a war against the Torah. The ‘it’ being the revocation of draft exemption from students in Charedi Yeshivos and Kollelim in Israel - and the resultant  loss of government funding. 

Without repeating myself too much, the fact that the many Hesder Yeshivos are fully funded gives lie to that claim. Hesder students serve in the IDF honorably - alternating that with Torah studies. Which they do as diligently as Charedi students.

It sticks in my craw every time I read a story like that. In this particular case all the discussion was about their successful philanthropy and fundraising among their wealthy Charedi peers that will go towards funding those Charedi schools. While condemning the withdrawal of funding in no uncertain terms as a war against the Torah. 

Not a word was mentioned about why those funds were withdrawn from them now. Not a  word about their being exempt for over 75 years despite the justifiable complaints by so many Israelis (both secular and religious) who were not exempted and in some cases paid the ultimate price. Not a word about the fact that there is a real war going on against a group of terrorists so viscous that they almost make Nazis look tame by comparison. Not a word about the blood being shed by so many Israelis protecting their people (which of course includes every Charedi in Israel) from certain slaughter if Israel had not had a defense force. 

Nope. It was all about the ‘doom and gloom’ of losing their funding because of the anti Torah edicts of the Israeli courts It does not occur to them (either that or they don’t care) that there is a manpower shortage that needs to be filled. One that could be filled if even 10% of them would be willing to serve 

In their worldview, serving in the military is just too dangerous to their spiritual health. That appears to be the primary reason they refuse. And those wealthy Charedi activists in  America all buy into that argument. Better to let someone else die in your place than risk your spirituality. As though it was  a given that their spirituality would automatically  e lost. Hesder students might have something to say about that. And it would not be agreement.

The Charedi leadership in Israel has made it clear that this fundraising effort is going to be an annual event. Which kind of striking if you think about it. With all the discussion in recent years about the high cost of a Jewish education in religious day schools and Yeshivos;.the back breaking tuitions that most parents cannot afford…; and the shortfall in budgets that nearly all of these schools experience every year - imagine what pumping 100 million dollars annually into these schools would mean to these schools and the parents that send their children there. Should Israel restore funding to the Charedi Yeshivos and Kollelim, executive directors of all of those schools  ought to go after that money. It obviuosly exists.  These wealthy philanthropists can’t hide it any longer.  But I digress.

In the meantime these wealthy activists have been indoctrinated to consider anything these rabbinic leaders as absolute Daas Torah. No amount of logic or evidence to the contrary matters. They do not even want to hear it. It is all irrelevant when iot comes to Daas Torah as espos8ed by these leaders. Who know Torah better than them? Who, they will ask rhetorically, should they listen to? someone with far less knowledge of Torah than their leaders?! Ridiculous!

That there is so much denial by people that are otherwise so successful people is the biggest disappointment of all. You would think that their worldly experience in business might have given them some perspective. You would think that they might listen to other voices in the Charedi world that have a different, more reasonable and realistic approach to this issue. One that would solve the problem to the satisfaction of all sides. Why is no one paying attention to them? Why are they being completely deaf to those voices?   What is wrong with  reasonable; compromise? Why perpetuate the big lie instead? 

There is no way these activists don’t know about Hesder Yeshivos. Knowing that - how can they say with a straight face that this is a war by the government against the Torah?! 

The best they can say is that defunding Yeshivos it is a war against Charedim. But even that would be a lie since it is the government that had funded them for decades.  And will fund them again if there is a reasonable compromise  

The truth is - the very fact of calling that a ‘war’ when there is a real war going on is an insult to every man woman and child that is either serving or has a close relative serving in the IDF at a time of war. and an even bigger insult to families that have lost a loved one that way.