Today’s Haredi demonstration is chutzpah

Today’s massive demonstration here in Jerusalem against the draft of their eligible men by Israel’s Haredi community is the height of chutzpah on a number of counts.

As a Matter of Principle

The fact that the Haredi community is demonstrating against conscription of their youth into the Israel Defense Forces at a time when Israel is fighting an existential battle for its survival and has a shortage of recruits, is simply unconscionable.

Over the last two yeas almost 1,000 of our troops have been killed in defense of our country against an enemy sworn to destroy us (even today, with a ceasefire in place, Hamas continues to be committed to this goal). That burden is carried by recruits drawn from the majority (but not all) of the 86% of Israel’s non-Haredi population although a very large percentage of those who do serve come from the non-Haredi religious community.

Why should that be the case? Why should 14% of the population be exempt from putting their children’s lives on the line in the defense of democracy and freedom under the cover of religion? Tradition teaches the contrary. Jewish sources from the Torah onward speak about the obligation to go to war except in very specific situations, none of which are that study is more important or even equal to defending the land, which is the argument most often used by the Haredi community.

As a Matter of Inconvenience

Because this has been termed a national protest event, Haredim and their supporters are coming to Jerusalem from all parts of the country. In anticipation of the expected size of the crowed, the entire entrance to the city is being closed off, the main highway leading into the city from the coast is closed for its entire ascent to Jerusalem (as is the southern entrance to the city is as well), extra police and other security units have been mobilized for crowd control and the government is even providing transportation for some of the demonstrators to get here.

In addition, for all practical purposes Jerusalem will have shut down beginning at noon with many schools and businesses operating in virtual mode all day in order to keep people off the streets.

In effect, therefore, this massive demonstration against the most basic principles of the citizenry’s obligation to defend the country is costing all of us who live here a fortune for all the support being provided by the very government against which the demonstrators are protesting.

To make it personal, why should I, as a resident of Jerusalem, be prevented from traveling to Tel Aviv today, as I would on any other weekday, by demonstrations of any kind?

As a Matter of Conscience

Finally, one thing that is clear about the massive demonstrations that the Haredi community is capable of populating. The community has the capability and the power to bring hundreds of thousands of Israelis into the streets when they need to show strength relating to an issue that directly affects them. However, they are often totally absent in those demonstrations objecting to decisions of the government that will affect all Israelis.

For example, in the nine months before October 7^th, when the country was being roiled by large demonstrations against the proposed judicial reform effort of the government, the Haredi community was absent. Israel was split among those who supported the government’s efforts and those who objected. Are we to conclude then that the entire Haredi community was in favor of the government’s position and, therefore, did not demonstrate? Or was it simply that they did not want to “rock” the (government) boat that provides so much funding for their activities?

After October 7^th there were hundreds of demonstrations in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem and at the Knesset as well, all in support of the hostages held by Hamas, urging the government to act. Once again, the Haredim were absent. Why? How could an entire religious community in Israel choose not to openly support the fight for the freedom of those being held in Hamas’s dungeons?

Summary

The Haredi community has the fastest growth rate of any sub-group of Israel’s population, growing at 4% a year. By 2030 statisticians say that community will represent 16% of the total population. At some point if the leadership does not change their position to allow young Haredi men to serve and even bless them for their service, the country will simply run out of recruits and the ability to defend ourselves will diminish to critical levels.

Responsible rabbinic leadership needs to come forward and internalize the message that former UK chief rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l shared during his lifetime. He consistently advocated for a more inclusive society and an end to the division and resentment surrounding Haredi enlistment into the IDF.

The IDF has traditionally been a unifying factor in Israeli life and could be so as well for the Charedi community in so many constructive ways while projecting to the outside world that we really are one people, unified for the common good. Wouldn’t that be nice?