Three hundred thousand ultra-Orthodox Jews converged on Jerusalem on March 2 in a massive and arrogant show of force to protest a proposed Israeli government military draft bill that will require more haredim to serve in the armed forces.
The legislation, modest in scope, is expected to be passed by the Knesset later this month. Far from imposing mandatory conscription on mentally fit and physically able ultra-Orthodox Jews, the bill would incrementally increase recruitment levels in the fast-growing haredi community and grant exemptions to 1,800 outstanding Jewish seminary students per year.
It’s important to add that haredi men of 18 and above would not be subjected to universal conscription, which applies to all other Israeli citizens with the exception of Arab Muslims and Christians and Orthodox Jewish women.
The vast majority of Israeli Jews are in favor of the bill because it’s in keeping with the principle of equality. Israel, given its array of enemies, could not possibly survive without a strong army. So Israeli men and women of sound mind and body are duty bound to serve and share this burden of citizenship equally.
Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, agreed to exempt a very limited number of ultra-Orthodox Jews from serving in the military so that they could pursue their studies in religious seminaries. It seemed like a reasonable accommodation in light of the fact that so many ultra-Orthodox Torah scholars, particularly in Poland, had been murdered during the Holocaust.
But as the years passed, the haredi community took advantage of this understanding, much to the annoyance and outrage of secular and modern Orthodox Jews who send their sons and daughters into the armed forces.
Israeli politicians of all stripes have tried, in vain, to correct this glaring injustice. Last year, two Israeli cabinet ministers, Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, banded together to call for change in the interests of creating a more egalitarian and just society.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has endorsed the bill because his coalition is not beholden to ultra-Orthodox parties, which fervently support wholesale exemptions and have used their leverage to blackmail a succession of Israeli leaders who could not survive politically without their electoral support.
Beyond the long overdue need to equalize the concept of national service, the bill is necessary to bring haredim into the work force. Far too many subsist on welfare payments, much to the detriment of Israel’s economy and themselves.
Israel cannot afford to prop up an unproductive segment of the citizenry that contributes nothing to the nation, and the Israeli army can surely make good use of the 8,000 ultra-Orthodox men who come of draft age each year. At the very least, they should perform their national service in hospitals, senior citizens’ homes and special education schools. If they refuse, they should pay the consequences, like any other Israeli shirker.
Israel’s Arab citizens, comprising 20 percent of its population, should serve their country in some capacity too.
Currently, a small contingent of Muslims and Christians, plus a much larger number of Druze, join the army. But most Israeli Arabs do not enlist, citing their second-class status as citizens and the crisis of conscience they would face if they had to fight a fellow Arab soldier.
Israel should take drastic steps to improve the lot of its Arab minority and bring it into the mainstream. No question about it. They suffer from institutional racism and grass-roots prejudice. But at the same time, Israeli Arabs have an obligation to the state of Israel, their justifiable grievances notwithstanding. If they cannot serve in the army, which is understandable, they should work in public institutions on a mandatory basis.
Too many Israelis, regardless of religion or ethnicity, feed off the fat of the land without giving anything back in return. It’s an untenable situation that can be tolerated no longer.