In Defense of the Haredim

I am a secular Jew in Canada but despite this I can be objective to the case of the Haredim. Serving in the IDF is important. But no less so is keeping Judaism alive (maybe even more so). What would you prefer: That Israel turn into a secular state with a powerful army or remain a viable army with a strong Jewish identity?  I for one choose the latter. I've seen first hand how many left leaning politicians like Yair Lapid have tried to polarize Israeli society by blowing up this issue far more than it is purely for political purposes. It’s easy to make a case of a son or daughter who died or was injured in battle and cry that your Haredi neighbour’s children remain safe. But I also know of many secular, hippie type Jews who refuse to serve in the IDF. There seemed to be no legal repercussions for them. The truth is far more complex than meets the eye. 

Here are some salient facts: 

1. Wars are fought differently than they were even 20 years ago. Manpower is no longer a requirement. Wars are fought with intelligence, drones, electronics, satellites, robots and various weapon systems. I have read articles (not published broadly) about problems of over enlistment. Many make work projects are being employed just to keep those serving busy. 

2. Do you really want to force a yeshiva bachur into battle? Most of these young men have never killed an ant and would certainly find it difficult if not impossible to shoot a human being. I for one would not entrust such a person to have my back on the war front. This is not to say for one moment that religious Jews can't fight. There are way too many examples to mention here but here is a short list: Moshe Reabbeinu, Joshua, King David, King Solomon, The Maccabees, etc. Some of us are born to fight, some of us are born to study.

3. So far most young Haredi men who have enlisted have lost their faith after serving. This is a big issue. This is often caused by the IDF's refusal to take religious requirements into account. Added to this but often overlooked and under reported is the negative stigma attached to these Haredim by secular Jewish members of the IDF. Even many orthodox soldiers (they are often members of Kippot Serugot) are the ones guilty of condemning the Haredim. If they can be both religious and serve then why can't the Haredim? The answer is that there are different levels of Jewish practise. Some of us are Jews in tradition only (ie. we eat lux and bagels therefore we are Jewish), some are reform, conservative, orthodox, egalitarian, ultra orthodox, secular, you name it. I don't judge any of them. I belong in there somewhere. I value all of us. But the Haredim are at the highest level of keeping the flame of the Torah alive. There have been some Haredi battalions developed recently but there is a lot more work to be done. Forcing the entire Haredi community to serve asap would certainly be a disaster. Be careful what you ask for.

4. Many of us can understand why some brilliant scientists or even artists and politicians are exempt from service in some cases. This has been the case in many wars throughout time. We admit that we really can't afford to lose such people in war. So why can't Jews appreciate the special gifts that Haredim offer us? Even our first modern day PM, David Ben Gurion recognized this. 

5.  One might suggest that the Haredim that find military service abhorrent and soul wrenching, should do their service behind the scenes instead of on the war front. That is certainly a viable option except that many on the left including the extreme left supreme court would still consider this unfair and eventually would demand that no special treatment should be offered to them. 

6. Most principals of yeshivot today will instruct parents of yeshiva students who are not taking their study serious to enlist their sons in the IDF. Studying in a yeshiva is not a party. It’s serious business, no less so than serving in the IDF. While many secular Jews say how nice it would be to evade service by studying in a Yeshiva, I know they don’t mean it. They haven’t visited the dank, dark, poorly equipped Yeshiva’s where thousands of young boys have been separated from their families and study for long hours, day after day, year after year. 

7. Finally and most importantly, without the Haredim, Judaism would disappear in 2 generations! Say what you will about them and their ’strange’ customs (strange to you that is) but if you care at all about being Jewish and keeping our incredible religion alive for future generations, we absolutely need them. Between secular Jews either outright leaving the religion and/or simply not caring about Judaism and our high intermarriage rate and our low birth rate, Haredim have an incredible burden put upon them. They often live modest lives and have many children, thank G-d! Instead of giving them credit for this, we attack them. 

 Until such time as the Supreme Court and other government leaders and IDF leaders abandon their attacks on the Haredim and prove that they can be trusted, the situation will not change. Once it does, I can see that point 5 above should solve a lot of issues. At that point in time many Haredi young men would gladly offer their services manning drones, developing military software, digging ditches, cleaning toilets, etc. We must find a way to support each other or at least tolerate each other.  The truth is that so far the current complex and cloudy system mostly works. We must be careful not to break it. We need moderate and compassionate leaders on both sides to work together to keep it stable and successful. Am Yisroel Chai!