IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi speaks with members of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion in northern Israel (Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Haredim in Israel’s Army: Now vs. Then (the Bible & 1948)
Israel’s government has not given up on its attempts to pass the (anti)Draft Law exempting “Torah scholars” from any form of service. Indeed, the Haredim continue to threaten the collapse of the coalition if such a law is not passed.
From a long-term perspective looking into Israel’s future, this is actually the most important issue on Israel’s agenda today – not the Iranian nuclear program, nor the total elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah. The reason is demographic; the Haredi justifications, are completely spurious.
Demographically, today in Israel 40% of all first-graders already come from the ultra-Orthodox sector. Thus, in 2036 (a mere 12 years from now), two of every five draft-age young individuals will not enter IDF service if the present government is successful in passing the (anti-)Draft Law that the Haredi parties insist on, threatening to leave the government, that would then collapse. And if we move another generation forward to the beginning of the half-century mark, the IDF would be a hollow shell.
The problem is not merely the lack of Haredi service. Imagine the non-Haredi, Israeli young adults: what motivation would they have when half of their cohort is avoiding army service? This is a general morale problem, no less invidious than the IDF’s future shortage of fighters.
Add to this the economic shortfall. The IDF is Israel’s main “trainee center.” For many recruits, it provides a profession after their army service e.g., high-tech, management, bureaucratic know-how etc. For all who serve, it teaches discipline and responsibility. It also functions as the great “socialization” factor for future “connections” – so critical in successfully navigating one’s working life. If half the country is out of this socio-economic circle, Israel’s economic dynamism would be short-circuited.
Notwithstanding all this, Israel’s ultra-Orthodox parties have just reintroduced their (anti-) draft law, but this time with an accompanying proposed law to dissolve the Knesset – the latter to be voted on if the former is not passed.
Given the damage to Israel’s military strength and economic viability, past and future, how do the Haredim respond to these arguments against such a deferment policy? They don’t. Rather, they fall back on religious justifications – primarily that Torah study is equally important in “protecting” the Jewish State. The time has come to put this argument to rest, as it relies on avoiding what the Torah actually says, not to mention historical precedent.
The relevant verses are in Deuteronomy 20: 5-7. These verses offer only three “excuses” (i.e., draft deferments) for temporarily not serving in the army: an individual who built a house but hadn’t yet dedicated it; or planted a vineyard and hadn’t yet eaten from its fruit; or was engaged to be married but hadn’t yet consummated the union. There is no mention here at all about Torah study.
Moreover, the Talmud specifically states (Sotah 44b) that even these three exemptions are valid only for a milkhemet reshut (elective war), and not a war forced on Jews by their enemy i.e., milkhemet khova. It’s worth noting that most, and perhaps all, of Israel’s wars since 1948 have been of the former kind. Post-Talmud, Maimonides (Melakhim, 7:4) went a step further: “In a milkhemet khova, all leave to serve, even a groom from his room and a bride from her khupa [wedding canopy]”!
The National-Religious sector (dati Leumi), no slouches either on the religious observance front, is proof positive that army service is a biblical commandment, not just the right thing to do. Indeed, this sector today constitutes 40% of all junior officers in the IDF – well above their 10% population demographic in Israel.
As if all this weren’t enough, it turns out that back in 1948 the Haredim living in Israel actually adhered to these biblical and Talmudic strictures. Not only did most of the nascent state’s ultra-Orthodox men fight in Israel’s War of Independence but their political party, Agudath Yisrael, disseminated printed posters calling for their flock to join the army – backed by their leading rabbis. In short, what is deemed today to be a non-starter for supposed religious reasons, was viewed – and acted upon – positively by their Haredi predecessors from the very start!
The irony is that back then the ultra-Orthodox were a relatively small part of Israel’s population, and given their decimation in the Holocaust one could perhaps “understand” any hesitation to lose more of their sons – and yet, still they fought. Today, when the Haredi sector is growing exponentially and there is no reason to fear its future existence, they are refusing to be part of Israel’s existential defense.
What should those insisting on drafting the Haredim do? First, what Shakespeare called “hoist with his own petard”: use the language that the ultra-Orthodox understand – the Torah, Talmud, and theological commentators (noted above) – to undermine their specious arguments about the primary value of Torah study above all else. This won’t convince all of them, but it would inject some doubt into many Haredi men about the wisdom of their leaders’ rejectionism.
Second, offer “carrots”. The IDF should continue to find ways to render army service “palatable” for the ultra-religious-minded. The army has already started down that path (e.g., establishing units without women; glatt kosher kitchen; time out for daily prayers; etc.), and could broaden such non-strictly military “concessions”. Is this undue “favoritism”? Perhaps, but when the boat is filling with water, you don’t bother to look at whether some sailors have large buckets and others have smaller jugs.
Third, continue with “sticks” as well. This means no subsidies for yeshivas that prevent their students from serving in the IDF, nor providing day care financing for fathers who refuse the draft.
In sum, Israel is at a major historical crossroads. While it has successfully decimated its two implacable, neighboring enemies (Hamas and Hezbollah), the present government – led by its “Mr. Security” (!?) prime minister – is seriously pushing to undermine its long-term security by giving a draft pass to its fastest growing sector. This is strategic cognitive dissonance of the worst order that has to be stopped at all costs – because the ultimate cost would be far too much for Israel to bear.
