At this time of Israel’s war with enemies dedicated to the annihilation of the over 7 million Jews living in the state of Israel, the need for sustained combat on mutilple fronts cannot be overstated. A need that requires maximum participation by able bodied citizens of Israel to join in that effort. An effort that has thus far been manned by extending the tour of duty each IDF solider must spend in combat. Which of course also means being exposed for longer periods of time to death or permanent injury; being away from family; and away form a business that could very easily itself become a casualty of war.
The Charedi leadership has thus far been in the forefront of rejecting that responsibility in a wholesale fashion. They have gone to great lengths for their young able bodied students to avoid being drafted. They have even asked Orthodox Jewish philanthropists all over the world to help sustain them financially to the tune of the 100 million dollars they lost by defying the new rules governing enlistment as a condition for continued government funding.
The reasons they are doing this are beyond the scope of this post other that to say that I believe they can all be easily refuted – as I and many other knowledgeable people have explained many times. The net result of that (other than saying some Tehilim after Davening) is that Charedim get to avoid all the ‘unpleasantries’ of war – and live their lives as though nothing unusual is going on.
There has however been a smattering of Charedim whose conscience had bothered them enough to enlist. Needless to say it has been a drop in the bucket.
When speaking of the extremes of the Charedi world, I think it is safe to say that none are more extreme than the Toldos Aharon Chasidim founded by R’ Aharon Roth (a Satmar Chasid) back in 1921.
These are the Chasidim that live in Meah Shearim and Ramat Bet Shemesh Bet that are responsible for some of the most egregious behavior in support of heir extremist agenda ever perpetrated in the holy land. It is from their ranks that are drawn the rock throwers, protesters, blockers of traffic (which includes blocking emergency vehicles from reaching hospitals), dumpster burning protestors, spitters at 8 year old little girls (calling them whores), and assorted other outrageous and disgusting behavior which are far too many to mention.
The one that is relevant here is their shaming anyone from among their ranks that had the gall to join the IDF. If an IDF soldier that sports a beard and Payos shows up in their environs they will be publicly scorned if not physically attacked. Signs and posters have been put up in public with some of the most insulting images and vile epithets about them that anyone could imagine. The Toldos Aharon Chasidim are not fazed by any outside of criticism. They are the ‘true believers’ the zealous Kannaim who beleive their form of protest honor God. The stronger the protest - the greater the honor to God!
This is what makes the abovementioned interview even more remarkable. That 33 year old Chasid is the son of the Toldos Aharon Rebbe.
That makes this very public television interview more than inspiring. It has the potential of doing something that many people – including me – thought might just be impossible: Uniting the country.
The reaction by the secular interviewer was one of great approval - even joy. He had no problem with the way the Chasid looked or dressed. He had no problem with his desire to maintain his standard of religious observance. He instead appreciated this young Chasid understood the pain and sense of injustice felt by the rest of the country about Charedim being exempt from army service. I believe that biggest (if not the only) point of contention between the Charedi world and every other Israeli is that Charedim allow others to fight, die or get permanently injured combating mortal enemies while Charedim are completely exempted from that.
When the son of the most extreme Charedim in Israel makes a commitment like this - and gets the reaction he got, it shows the kind of unity that is possible among the Jewish people. The kind that existed for the briefest of moments in the immediate aftermath of October 7th.
I thought that maybe this symbolized a turning point in how the most extreme Charedim in Israel are thinking about IDF service. Although Toldos Aharon does not in any way represent the thinking of the Lithuanian style Yeshiva world - that there is a softening of their views about IDF, maybe there is some hope that it could happen in the Yeshiva world too.
But my bubble was burst when I asked a Chasidic Rebbe I know who is actually sympathetic to my views -what he thought about this interview. The following was his response:
What is significant is that the person is the son of the Toldos Aharon Rebbe. He seems to speak Ivrit well, though his mother tongue is Yiddish and he is aware of what is being published on the internet. The leaders will take this to demonstrate how dangerous is the internet rather that accepting the arguments that he presents. To use their language, he is a "gechapter"
A Gechpater is a Yiddish word that translates to ‘captured one’. Which means that they see this particular Chasid as OTD with respect to their values - even if he has not diminished his religious observances at all.
Which of course means that this changes nothing other than to show that there are some exceptions to the rule. But the rule still stands. That the IDF is just as Treif as it has always been. And that they probably feel this should make them even more vigilant than before in their opposition to the IDF. Once again leaving any chance for Achdus in the dirt.