But as I said the Charedi religious leaders, their politicians in the Kenesset, and their willing accomplices in the Charedi media keep screaming foul… as though they are the injured party. Injured?! Let them go visit some of the permanently wounded veterans to see what ‘injured’ means… or Har Herzl where soldiers who gave thoer lives for their country are buried!
I recently had a private e-mail correspondence with a Charedi journalist on this issue, and he was implacable. He believes that Israel will be destroyed if Charedim are drafted. The government will never withstand the grass roots Charedi protests, he said. He believes in the rectitude of his position and adds with pride that ‘all the Gedolim are on his side’. The State of Israel cannot win. Charedim will prevail because God is on their side.
And he may not be that far off in his prediction if this recent protest is any indication. The rhetoric coming out of their side continues to be vile. From The Jewish Press:
Rabbi David Zicherman, one of the leaders of the Jerusalem Haredim, spoke heatedly before the demonstrators, calling the current situation Gzeirot Shmad-Jewish annihilation decrees of 5774…
As his speech continued, it became clear that the good rabbi was not a man of understatements. He threatened the authorities that they would surely be facing “suicide squads who will give their lives for the Torah.”
Suicide squads?! This is beyond ridiculous, but this is what some of these rabbis are preaching. They are telling Charedi students that they must sacrifice their lives in protest before allowing themselves to be drafted. Which is what what a Jew is supposed to do when there is a real Gzeiras HaShmad, like there was it the era of the Chashmonoim (Maccabees).
I have no clue how far this will go. But I cannot imagine a scenario where there will be tens of thousands of students (or more) protesting in the streets with placards screaming anti government slogans and epithets at soldiers and government officials, with some of them being arrested and thrown I jail. If that happens on a large scale, I do not see life going on as usual.
I am reminded of another time in another country. It was the seventies and there was an unpopular war being fought in South East Asia. That country was the United States. They too had a draft. And students protested then too. Big time. The war was considered unjust. There were riots in the streets; sit-ins in college university offices; draft cards were burned; police were spat upon and called the vilest of names… “Hell no, we won’t go!” became the clarion call of a huge segment of the university student population. They too had leaders in government supporting them. As did much of the media. It caused an American President to not seek a second term.
I don’t see much difference. Only the cause is different. The rhetoric and militant resistance is the same; it has already started; and it will get worse.
Why, O why can’t cooler heads prevail? Why can’t the right see the inherent inequity of exempting an entire class of people? Why can’t they instead seek compromise and negotiation with the government? Why must they see the devil behind every corner? How can they vilify by implication every single religious solider? How can they not condemn the evil vilification of Charedi soldiers by their own extremists?
How can they not recognize the sacrifice of those who have given life and limb to protect them and their families? How can they not appreciate the sacrifice others have made on their behalf? How can they in any way call this a Gzeiras HaShmad? And they wonder why the rest of Jewry – both observant and secular is so upset with them?!