That philosophy and the unrealistic fear that Charedim will be disabused of their religious observance - are their stated reasons for fighting the draft. Unrealistic because of the thousands of Hesder Yeshiva students that served honorably and have maintained every bit of their religious convictions. Not to mention that the IDF now offers units that fully accommodate Charedi standards. Furthermore, the IDF has expressed the willingness to improve upon those units if they do not yet fully rise to the standards demanded of them.
None of this is new. I have said it all before. Nor is it new that they have called upon their flock to show support in massive numbers at gatherings designed to protest the Israeli government’s new requirement for Charedim to be drafted – upon penalty of losing all of the heretofore generous financial government support. Which has happened.
Charedi leaders in Israel have characterized this as a war on Torah, instead of understanding that the IDF has a manpower shortage in the middle of a war which is about to become a two front war. To fill the gap they need about 3000 of the 100,000 Charedi students to be drafted. To these leaders that is considered a war on Torah. A view shared and promoted by their counterparts in Lakewood.
One such protest called for last week was cancelled for lack of securing a permit from the state. But a new protest has been scheduled with a supposedly different theme. Which would be something I wholeheartedly support. As noted in Matzav:
With nearly 100 hostages still languishing in Hamas captivity and acheinu bnei yisroel under the perpetual threat of rockets and missiles raining from the sky, yidden locally and around the world are gathering to their support and defense by beseeching Hashem for a yeshua.
This coming Sunday, the first day of Selichos, thousands of yidden from across the tri-state region will gather in Lakewood for a monumental atzeres tefillah in defense of our brethren hanesunim b’tzara u’beshivya in Eretz Yisroel, as well as to implore hakadosh baruch hu to spare Klal Yisroel from the scourge of antisemitism running rampant worldwide.
This is something almost every Orthodox Shul in the world has been doing on a smaller scale since October 7th . But I don’t recall a public prayer event of this magnitude ever having been called for yet.
Sadly however, the bolded print in Matzav announcing this event tells you what it is really all about:
The atzeres will also address the impending implementation of new Israeli draft laws that threaten to force thousands of bnei torah into the military, posing an unprecedented threat to limud hatorah in Eretz Yisroel – the very lifeblood of the Jewish nation.
In fact a flyer announcing the event doesn’t mention a thing about hostages; the dangers facing the IDF; our brethren in Israel; or the antisemitism plaguing the world right now. It mentions only one thing. The draft.
The message ends by declaring that this gathering will show Achdus - unity across the board of the Charedi world.
I wonder though, what does their flock actually think about that? Do they think that the primary concern should be the opposition to the draft? My guess is that many of them might actually wonder why that flyer doesn't even mention the fact that the lives of Jews in Israel are in more immediate and in more serious danger right now than some Yeshiva students are of being drafted! And that they need our prayers.
And what about the welfare of the soldier risking life and limb doing the actual fighting? Are their lives of secondary importance to that of a Yeshiva Bachur being drafted into the IDF in some capacity that will probably not even entail combat in most cases?
One might defend them by arguing that it isn’t true. That they do care about the safety of our people in Israel and have shown they care by reciting Tehilim 3 times every day after public prayer. Which is followed by a short prayer asking God to help our endangered brethren – the children of Israel.
What they do not do – on purpose is say a prayer for the safety of those who are in the line of fire, the IDF. When challenged they reply that the IDF is covered by the above-mentioned general prayer about our endangered brethren – the children of Israel.
What they will not tell you is the real reason they don’t say it. It’s the same reason they never say the term ‘State of Israel’ or even the word ‘Israel’. Instead they use the term: ‘Eretz Yisroel’. By referring to an army of Israel they give tacit recognition to a state they consider anti Torah, illegitimate, and evil. Saying ‘State of Israel’ or ‘Israel’ would imply recognition of the Jewish state.
They treat the Israeli government like they do any other non Jewish government. And participate in it they would in any country in which they find themselves. Israeli Charedim participate in the government to represent their constituent voters. Just like Jews do in the US or in any other country. They don’t consider Israel to be a Jewish state. They consider it to be a state of Jews – a state that simply has a lot of Jews living in it. Saying a special prayer for the army of Israel goes against the very core beliefs about the state. They simply will not do it.
This is the philosophy the leadership has instilled into their flock since the earliest days of Zionism under its founder, Theodor Herzl. A philosophy that has not changed.
Thing is, I do not believe that this strident anti state philosophy is universal amongst their flock anymore. At least not here in America. A lot of American Charedim Daven at Brisk where I Daven. They are often asked to be the Shaliach Tzibur (Chazan). After the recitation of Tehilim at the end of Davnening they are asked to say the State of Israel prayer for the IDF soldiers. I have never seen any of them refuse to do so. Not once. By any of them.
So the idea that there is absolute uniform ideological opposition to the state in the Charedi world implied by the kind of gathering called for in Lakewood this Sunday - is simply not true. Although I’m sure there are plenty that do share that ideology, clearly it is not universal. And I don’t think the leadership that has called for this gathering are aware of the extent of it.
That being said, I’m sure the gathering will be massive. When the Gedolim speak, people listen. Even if they don't fully agree with them.
It would be nice if at the end of the program, someone would have the courage to grab a mike and recite the prayer for the safety of the soldiers. And hopefully garner a giant Amen from the crowd afterwards. That might shake a few things up there. But I think Hell will sooner freeze over.