The Self-Undermining Blockade

This is a complicated, deeply personal and emotional issue for everyone in Israel, but it must be addressed honestly and realistically in light of current events.

The State of Israel is in real danger, period. In a situation like this, we need all hands on deck. The feeling among a larger part of society is that ordinary working people are struggling daily to pay bills, while their husbands, sons, and daughters are literally going to fight for the survival of the nation and in many cases, dying in service. All around us are the stickers of those who gave their life so we can have roads safe enough to travel on (and blockade).

At the same time, a large number of the ultra-Orthodox population do not serve in the military and, in many cases, also do not participate in the workforce. In addition, parts of this sector engage in protests that include blocking roads and disrupting public order, preventing parents from picking up their children or people from reaching sick family members. To many citizens, this feels like an unbearable imbalance, where one group solely carries the burden of defense, while another group benefits from the state’s protection and infrastructure but does not share in its responsibilities.

This is especially difficult because, in the eyes of many, it does not reflect the spirit of the Torah. The Torah contains numerous examples of God calling His people not only to study and preserve spiritual life, but also to fight and defend the land of Israel. It is entirely possible to dedicate oneself to Torah study while also serving in the military and contributing economically, just like every single other citizen is required to do.

There is understanding of the concern within religious communities, that military service and exposure to secular society may threaten certain ways of life. But this raises a very serious question: what if every group in society adopted similar exemptions based on ideological or cultural concerns? What if soldiers refused to serve because they believed in peace instead of war, or for any other deeply held belief? In such a scenario, there would be no sufficient army, and no state capable of defending itself.

Israel’s survival depends on shared responsibility. It is not the case in many other nations globally, but for us it is imperative. It depends on a unified nation. The reality is that without the IDF, and the extreme grace of the Almighty, the country would not exist today. It is too difficult for many in the general population to accept that those who refuse service to the point of blockading the streets, are simultaneously depending entirely on others risking their lives for them to do so.

If all of Israel behaved in this way, there would be no Israel. That is indisputable. In my opinion it is not coherent to seek the protection and provision of a state established as a national home, while at the same time refusing to take part in even minor forms of its defense and literally disrupting and undermining the social order like a child who doesn’t want to come home from the park. We must protect, uphold and cherish those who devote themselves to prayer and study in the highest regard. And we must also not bite the hands that feed us.

It should be noted that there are ways this community could participate in the defense and protection of the nation in a way that preserves the core values and way of life without resulting in compromise of religious conviction. It would be fair to even require such.

To the best of human reason, there are only two real options going forward:

Either the state revokes the broad military exemptions for those who refuse to serve to the point of engaging in disrupting public order through blocking roads and paralyzing civilian life, or the military exemption must be made universally available to all citizens who do not wish to defend or serve the nation in the military for any conviction whatsoever.

These are the only two coherent options. One preserves a functioning, shared national responsibility. The other, if applied broadly, would be suicidal for the survival of the state itself. Our enemies are real; we are seeing the unprecedented revival of the same events and attitudes that took place pre-holocaust on a global scale that is impossible to ignore. It’s time to get a grip.