Almost from the very establishment of our modern state, the issue of haredi enlistment in the military has been hotly debated within Israeli society. While admittedly, this is a topic that invokes deep passion and resentment, it is important to avoid lowering it to become some sort of populist debate encapsulated in simplistic slogans like “IDF enlistment should be equal.”
From the outset, it is important for me to stress that as a father of seven sons and sons-in-law who have been fighting in this current war, I share the pain, frustration, and anger being directed toward such a large segment of our population that doesn’t share that burden and doesn’t raise their sons to head off to the battlefield in defense of the nation.
On the ideological level, I firmly believe that the fact that the overwhelming majority of the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) population doesn’t join the IDF is a massive moral stain that cannot be glossed over and is truly a desecration of God’s name (Chilul Hashem) that cannot be forgiven.
But specifically, because I proudly hold that position, I believe it is worth at least recognizing the other side of the equation: that there is no viable way to force a population of one million people to enlist in an army, which in their minds is in complete contradiction to their beliefs and way of life.
Certainly, haredi enlistment can be promoted, and people can be convinced of its value, but coercion is doomed to fail from the outset.
It is also critical that we approach this issue with some level of sensitivity and tolerance to hear the haredi perspective, which, whether or not we agree with it, is at the heart of their opposition.
The most common claim put forth is that army service will take people away from the study hall. But we know that after several years of intense Torah study, most of these men cannot qualify as top scholars where they remain with the same level of dedication.
So, as often as this claim is put forth, we know that the real issue lies elsewhere.
I remember my conversation with a leader of one of the top yeshivot who told me, straight out, that he would prefer that his students spend their whole lives peeling potatoes rather than enlist in the IDF. When I pushed him to explain his stance, he answered bluntly that he strives for a world where his students commit to a haredi lifestyle and avoid anything that would “tarnish” such a life – as he firmly believed the army certainly would.
AGAIN, AS much as we might disagree, this is a position that exists among many and cannot be disregarded and certainly not ignored. In fact, this is likely the real reason why haredi enlistment has not expanded significantly—and not because of their supposed commitment to Torah study.
At present, the state of Israel and the IDF have not really internalized this fact, and, as a result, draft numbers among the haredi population remain so low.
The current statute allows a young man to avoid enlistment if he is registered in an institution where he is actively learning the Torah. This allows the young man to remain in yeshiva until the age of 26 and, until that time, is not able to go out and get a professional education or enter the workforce.
So, even if a young man has a personal desire to go out and study for a profession or begin to work, he is essentially discouraged from doing so. In very plain terms, the State of Israel is forcing young men to remain in yeshiva so they have the official ability to avoid enlistment. The result is a massive budgetary expenditure in yeshivot and kollels, which grows yearly.
Now, let us imagine a situation where instead of falling into this conception surrounding the need for Torah study, we would instead accept the far more understandable approach that the haredi opposition is based on fears (not illegitimate ones…) that exposure to the IDF social environment will lead to exposure to situations and ideals that are contrary to those they hold dear.
The perception that drafting will change ones entire way of life needs to be changed
If we accept that approach, the reasoning for the avoidance of enlistment could be altered away from being based on Torah study and towards the perception that being drafted will expose their sons to a potentially unholy way of life.
This reasoning is already accepted for a different group, specifically religious girls who are granted exemptions out of similar concerns.
The result would be that every young haredi man who had been learning in yeshiva until that point would be faced with a decision; continue to learn Torah full time, or enter the “outside world.” One immediate impact of this shift would be that those who accepted that their full-time Torah study days were over would leave that track, sparing the national coffers the massive budgetary outlay currently spent in the yeshiva and kollel worlds.
AT THAT point, the young man would be offered the chance to engage in a national service track or an IDF track. Critically, both tracks would be complemented by professional training tools that would allow recruits to become financially resourceful and independent upon completion of the selected track.
I admit that this still gives the option of continuing a path that would mean some, if not many, will continue to avoid IDF service. But this new direction would almost certainly promote a conceptual shift where larger numbers will choose national or military service – a shift we have seen among growing religious girls in recent years.
But far more importantly, this shift will allow our country to finally admit that we need to end a situation where hundreds of thousands of young men are being thrust into years of funded yeshiva study, whether or not they are academically inclined or capable.
Rather, after so many years of struggle and frustration, these young men will be officially encouraged and positioned to share the economic burden in ways that we can be confident will increasingly assist the haredi population in becoming professionally trained to assume their rightful place in our economy and society.
After discussing this proposal with those who are deeply familiar with the issue, I know there will continue to be those who oppose such a shift. But their opposition is almost exclusively motivated because they have a political interest in remaining steadfastly opposed to any changes in haredi enlistment, not because they find fault with the idea or its likelihood to succeed.
Unfortunately, for those power brokers, there is no reason to support any change because it doesn’t suit their political interests.
But at such a critical time in our nation’s history, where this necessary shift has massive security, social and economic implications, it is our collective responsibility to head in an altogether new direction.
This need not mean that we dismiss or ignore the haredi lifestyle or their concerns that these changes will harm their particular way of life. However, we also need to ensure that we enter into a new era where this large segment of our population is given the tools to collectively share and contribute to our national, military, and economic success.
The writer is the founder and chair of the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization in Israel.