The broadcasting of Channel 10 TV's series " Haredim" was timed to a T. The three episode presentation coincided with a public and political debate about fair and equal sharing of the defence burden, namely, conscription for all.
"Hiddush", a local NGO, officially titled - Freedom of Religion for Israel, Inc, is very much a part of this debate. Hiddush president, Rabbi Uri Regev: summed up the situation as follows, “The Israeli public is sick and tired of the politically motivated mass exemption of yeshiva students from sharing in the civic burden of defence of the country” Obviously Rabbi Regev doesn't pitch his tent with the Haredim. Let's pause a moment to examine that definitive title given to a broad swath of Orthodox Jews. It's used to describe the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to by outsiders as ultra-Orthodox. Haredi Jews, like other Orthodox Jews, consider their belief system and religious practices to extend in an unbroken chain back to Moses and the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. As a result, they regard Non-Orthodox, and to an extent Modern Orthodox, streams of Judaism to be deviations from authentic Judaism.
Many people prefer to call them Haredim instead of ultra-Orthodox. However, the term Haredim derived from a phrase in Isaiah 66:5: "Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word" (Also in Ezra10:3), when freely translated as "God-fearing" is problematic. It could be applied to all religiously observant Jews. Arguably it can be stretched to include occasional synagogue goers, even the very 'lite' type. So let's stick to the term Haredim.
By and large the Haredim are a marginal group living in their self- imposed ghetto-like communities? Counting them is not easy, mainly because they shy from cooperating with state institutions. Notwithstanding the difficulties in accessing the number of Haredim it's estimated that they comprise one-tenth of Israel’s 7.8 million citizens
Haredi Judaism is not an institutionally cohesive or homogeneous group, but comprises a diversity of spiritual and cultural orientations, generally divided into a broad range of Hasidic factions, Lithuanian Jews with strong Yeshiva affinities, streams from Eastern Europe, and Oriental Sephardic Haredim.
At this juncture it’s important to stress that the Haredim don’t have a monopoly on Jewish religious observance. Their dress code certainly sets them apart, but many less identifiable religious Jews are equally observant.
I realise that much of the content of this newsletter is common knowledge. I mention it here because it helps put the conscription debate in the proper context.
One researcher claims that Israeli Haredi males probably spend more time in formal study than any other group anywhere in the world. However, this dedication to Torah study takes precedence over work.
By contrast, our sages of old emphasised the value of study and work and not just study alone. In addition to studying Torah they were artisans and plied a variety of trades.
Our current conscription imbroglio has its origins in an arrangement made by Ben Gurion to accommodate 400 yeshiva students. That was in 1948 and the arrangement was formalised by the Tal Law in 1999, which was intended to provide a legislated framework for the long standing practice of exempting yeshiva students from military service. At the same time its goal was to encourage greater participation in both military and civil service. The law failed to achieve its service objectives. Ironically, the exemptions granted by the law requiring full-time yeshiva study have contributed to a greater degree of poverty in the Haredi sector. About 60 percent of Haredi men are unemployed. Some women work, but one income does not go far in families with an average of more than six children.
The combination of high birth rates, poverty and an inflexible Haredi school system that avoids teaching a broad curriculum exacerbates the community’s already difficult circumstances. Haredi youth graduate high school with few skills and professional qualifications. As a result the community has become increasingly dependent on state financial support.
The Haredi community in Israel has adopted a policy of cultural dissociation, but at the same time, it has struggled to remain politically active, perceiving itself as the true protector of the country's Jewish nature. This dichotomy between the mainstream Israeli society and the Haredi community can be traced back to the late nineteenth-early twentieth century, with the rise of Zionism The vast majority of Haredi Jews rejected Zionism for a number of reasons. Chief among these was the claim that Jewish political independence could only be obtained through Divine intervention, with the coming of the Messiah. Any attempt to force history was seen as an open rebellion against Judaism.
Over eight hundred years ago Maimonides wrote, “I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, and even though he may tarry, nevertheless I wait every day hoping he will come." Israeli rock star Shalom Hanoch isn't so patient. In his 1985 hit “Waiting for the Messiah." He complains "The Messiah hasn't come, he hasn't called." In one verse he is more despondent and concludes, "The Messiah won't come."
Portraying the Haredim as a sector that is completely introspective is misleading and distorts the truth. I certainly didn’t intend to do so.
I want to tip the scales a bit by mentioning two voluntary organisations initiated by Haredi Jews and largely run by them. Yad Sarah is the largest national volunteer organisation in Israel. It is operated by more than 6,000 volunteers and employs a salaried staff of 150 men and women. The organisation serves over 350,000 needy people each year. In addition it lends over 244,000 pieces of medical and rehabilitative home-care equipment annually, enabling sick, disabled, elderly and recuperating patients to live at home. This saves Israel's economy an estimated $320 million in hospital fees and long-term care costs each year.. This loan service is provided free.
.The organisation serves Jews, Christians, Muslims and Druze, as well as tourists with disabilities. Yad Sarah is a recipient of the Israel Prize and has been awarded advisory status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Yad Sarah raises 92% of its operating budget from donations. The organisation does not receive any government assistance.
Zaka is a Hebrew acronym meaning “Disaster Victim Identification” it is comprised of a series of voluntary community emergency response teams in Israel, each operating in a police district. The organisation is officially recognised by the government. Members of ZAKA, most of whom are Orthodox Jews, assist ambulance crews, aid in the identification of the victims of terrorism, road accidents and other disasters, and where necessary gather body parts for proper burial. They also provide first aid and rescue services, and help with the search for missing persons and participate in international rescue and recovery operations.
The Haredi community is a multi-faceted entity. It is characterised more by its diversity than a common purpose. Nevertheless, on the matter of military service it has managed to close ranks. The legal precedent that fixed deferring military service that enabled young men enrolled in Haredi yeshiva academies to complete their studies before their conscription in the IDF.
Haredi Jews maintain that the Torah study when practised by great Torah scholars or their disciples is crucial in defending the state of Israel and its people, equivalent to an additional "praying division" of the Israeli army. (I doubt if IDF C in C Benny Gantz is depending on this extra force.) In practice, the arrangement provides a legal route whereby Haredi Rabbis and their disciples can either enroll for a shortened service period (4 months), or be exempted altogether from compulsory military service.
On February 21, 2012, Israel's High Court of Justice ruled the Tal Law unconstitutional. Now the government is obliged to introduce new legislation or cease to treat the Haredi sector as privileged group.
While Israel’s Druze and Circassian minorities are conscripted like the Jewish majority, the Arab minority, both Christian and Muslim, is not required to serve in the IDF. Members of some Bedouin communities volunteer for service in the army. It has been suggested that in lieu of military service the Arab minorities be conscripted to perform community services.
We celebrate Independence Day according to the Hebrew calendar. However, Israel's declaration of independence was issued on the 14th of May, 1948, a date regarded by the Palestinians as the date marking their great national tragedy the Naqba.
This year Nakba Day events were relatively quiet. Exceptions were at a few road blocks near crossing points in the West Bank. In our neck of the woods the day was uneventful. There were quiet protests in Nazareth and a gathering at Lajun, the ruins of an Arab village near Kibbutz Megiddo.
I’m told the gathering was more like a “Farmers Market” with stalls stacked with goods for sale and light refreshments, than a demonstration.
Lajun was “vacated” during the War of Independence. The origin of the name can be traced back to a Roman army camp built at the site during the Bar Kochba revolt. The sixth legion known as Legio sexta Ferrata (Sixth Ironclad Legion) was stationed there. With the passage of time the name was corrupted to Lajun.
Former residents of Lajun still conduct a kind of annual pilgrimage to its ruins and preserve the name for later generations born after the village was destroyed - though few remember the name's Roman origin.
Have a good weekend.
Beni 17th of May, 2012.
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