It is nothing new that certain elements among our fellow Jews want to have nothing to do with the draft into the IDF. They have found multiple ways to show their displeasure and, in doing so, to disrupt the public thoroughfares , cause severe damage to public property, inflict bodily harm on security personnel and other actions–all in the name of G-d.
A subset of this population is a group of fringe elements, who have now gone even further, beyond any terrible actions to date. Carrying signs that declare that one must resist the draft to the point of יהרג ואל יעבור (better to choose death than to “transgress”), this group (known as the Jerusalem Faction, among others) has decided that drafting into the IDF is akin to the three sins for which one must forfeit his\her life: Idolatry, murder and immorality.
If that was “all” that they did, then, Dayenu…but wait, there’s more!
Public declarations from these individuals have been made, in the name of Jerusalem Faction leader Shmuel Auerbach, to resist enlistment “until the last drop of blood.” If that phrase sounds familiar, it should. It is nearly the very same words used by our mortal enemies, Hamas, the PA, etc. They,too, call for defending Al Aksa “until the last drop of blood.” So, apparently, this whole draft issue is worth bloodshed OF FELLOW JEWS!
And if that was “all” they did, Dayenu…but wait, there’s more!
Leaflets calling for the death of Maj. Yaakov Roshi were strewn outside of his parents’ house in Petach Tikva, representing an escalation in the campaign of harassment and intimidation against haredi soldiers and their recruiters, the Behadrei Haredim Hebrew news site reported.
These leaflets were left outside of the house with the phrase, “G-d will break the arm of the wicked,” and calling Roshi and his colleagues “hunters of souls.”
“Therefore, the great Torah scholars instructed that one should do the same as our forefathers did when a wicked person rose up against them, to cry to the Creator of the world that He should spare and comfort us and remove sins from the earth,” the letter continued.
“And in all places, they will pray that the memory of his name will be in disgrace, Yaakov Menachem Ben Naomi, and they will say about him what is written in Psalms, Chapters 10 and 109, about the loss of the wicked, and the Lord will hear our prayers and save us from the wicked Yaakov Roshi, may his name and memory be blotted out,” the letter concluded.
The prayer that an individual’s name and memory be blotted out is reserved by normative religious Jews for perpetrators of genocide against the Jewish people, such as Haman and Hitler. According to BeHadrei Haredim, a haredi news site, the prayer for the death of a fellow Jew crossed a new red line and showed that “anything goes” in the fight against enlistment. (Arutz-7)
And if that was “all” that there was to report, then, Dayenu. But wait…yes, sadly, there is much more!
On Monday, thanks to an ongoing undercover investigation, the Israel Police arrested more than 20 Jewish ultra-Orthodox men as suspected sex offenders whose alleged crimes were known to their insular communities but concealed from the authorities.
The twenty-two men, aged 20 to 60 and from communities in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh and Beitar Ilit, allegedly committed sex crimes against women, youths and children from their communities over the past two years, police said. (Ynet)
Another horrific case of a community protecting pedophiles, rapists and those who prey on women and children. Once again, the police expose communities with a mindset that one must sweep under the rug all the dirty little secrets; a mindset that protects the vermin of society, while prolonging the agony and pain of the victims.
And this is the part where some of my readers begin to chant: “Haredi basher!” And I say to all who declare that: GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF THE SAND! I don’t care if the ones saying these things and doing these things are Dati LeUmi, Reform, Conservative or have nose rings and belly button piercings: CALLING FOR THE MURDER OF FELLOW JEWS AND ENCOURAGING THE ENDANGERMENT OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN crosses every single red line that Judaism stands for.
No, these are not the acts of “Haredim.” These are acts of the lowest stratum of society. If I am bashing anyone, it is the leaders who say nothing; who protect the abusers; who encourage their followers to murder (yes, MURDER Jews). I am bashing every one of those who carry signs that going into the IDF is an issue of יהרג ואל יעבור. To say that the actions of these people reflects all of Haredi society is merely a statement of ignorance.
Why do we accept this? Why do we not have massive counter-demonstrations against such horrific behavior? Why do we allow our Judaism to be hijacked by hooligans, miscreants, misfits and ne’er-do-wells?
While this post can be much longer, I will stop here, as I believe I have made my point.
The next step? Suggestions…ideas…actions?
Next post…….
RavZevsblog 
The premise of this post is incorrect.
“Die and do not Trangess” applies to scenarios where a Jew is commanded to desecrate Halacha for its own sake. In all fairness, the army is doing just that. Its open ambition is to ‘moderate’ Ultra Orthodox Yeshiva boys, to ‘modernize’ them etc.
We were deeply upset at the Russian government’s attempt some 120 years ago to conscript Jewish boys with the goal of Christianizing them, we should be similarly (if not equally upset) at the Jewish government’s attempt today to conscript Orthodox boys with the goal of secularizing them.
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Please post written documentation from the IDF that shows their “goal of secularizing them.” If you can show me a single document from the IDF that states that this is the *goal* of the IDF drafting soldiers (to secularize Orthodox soldiers) I will remove the post. Much more to comment but let’s start with this one. TIA
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In addition, do you believe that a person being drafted has the right to kill a fellow Jew so as not be drafted? Meaning, do you believe this IS such a case of יהרג ואל יעבור?
BTW, it is not ME using the language of יהרג ואל יעבור it is those who are our there carrying the signs.
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Zach – could you please tell me where you got the above information from? As the mother of THREE soldiers – all of whom entered the army as religious young men, two of whom left the army as religious men and are now married to religious women and have, B”H children and one of whom is religious and sitting on one of Israel’s borders right now, I beg to differ with your simplistic and inaccurate post above.
My oldest son was a commander in the artillery division. He was asked if he would agree to serve with women and answered that he was not. He went through basic training with other religious boys in his unit…was selected to become a commander and went through training there as well – his commanding officers and others in his unit were all male. He was never asked to break Shabbat except in situations that were clearly defined as “Pikuah Nefesh”. Today, he is an ambulance driver and yes, there are times he will take the ambulance on Shabbat…because we celebrate life over almost all other Halachot, including Shabbat.
After he finished the commander’s course, he was assigned to become a commander of new soldiers. At the last minute, his commanding officer came over and apologized. They had messed up and the unit to which my son would be assigned had female recruits in it. The army knew they’d made a mistake, apologized that there was no choice…and my son said, “no.”
His commanding officers apologized again and explained that my son had gone through all the training, it was too late. The new recruits were coming in on Sunday…this was Thursday. My son said, “No.” He called his Rav and his Rav said, “tell them no. If they don’t listen, call me.” My son went to his commanding officer and said, “No” again. The army pulled another commander, untrained, off of one position and assigned him the task, respecting my son’s right to practice his religious beliefs. When my son arrived back on base, his commanding officers apologized again and asked him what he wanted to do…and did their best to accomodate him.
In another case – same son – was on the border one time when a Beduoin officer came in and ordered training exercises for his unit on Shabbat. My son stood up, turned to his commanding officer and said, “we don’t do ‘training’ exercises on Shabbat.” Training exercises are not Pikuah Nefesh. The “exercises” were canceled immediately.
Third son is now in the army. He told me that if he or any of the yeshiva boys tell their commanding officers that something is not allowed, the officers accommodate. There is NO systematic attempt to secularize religious boys in the army – there are tremendous attempts to accommodate them.
What there is, sadly, is an attempt on the part of one community to suggest that their sons are more important than my son; that your son’s life is worth more, his prayers more holy, his learning to be understood that he is more devout. They aren’t. His isn’t. He isn’t.
In the book of Devarim, the laws of war are discussed. When you go to war….the Torah commands us…YOU…not – your neighbor’s son, or some other sucker you can get to go…when YOU go to war…well, my son has gone to war…twice. My sons have followed the Torah and you have NO right to suggest that you do the same when you hide behind inaccurate claims.
I have seen religious soldiers abused simply because they walked in a Haredi neighborhood. They were spat upon and called, “Nazis” – is this the kinder, gentler, more religious attitude you seek to protect by keeping these boys out of the army?
I have Haredi relatives and I see women working so hard while their husbands “sit and learn” all day (and get minimum wage jobs under the table where they can). The women are over-worked and exhausted; the men raised to think they are kings.
How dare you compare what the Russians did to what Israel is doing. Was Russia our land? This is our country – if you are not prepared to defend it, honestly – leave. We are here by the will of God, without quesiton, but it is God who has shown us the He blesses the hands and work of the IDF because without those blessings, uncountable miracles would not have saved our soldiers (and our communities) from thousands of rockets and hundreds of attacks.
What is also very sad about your comment is that you have ignored the main thrust of this article. You attempt to attack the army with baseless claims but ignore the hatred coming out of your community, the incitement. What they are practicing and what you are defending is not Halacha, it is not Judaism, it is NOT Torah and it is NOT God’s will. God told us what He wanted of us…
“When you go out to war against your enemies, and you see horse and chariot, a people more numerous than you, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord, your God is with you Who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” — Read the Torah…follow it. When YOU go out to war…
Stop being cowards.
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Wow, very very well said. Thank you.
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http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/227399
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I’m not a scholar, but your arguments are airtight, at least to me. I doubt there is a conscious effort being made to secularize or “modernize” soldiers. But the larger issue is these expressions of extremism that seems so alien, so venomous rather than simply oppositional. The way I test a value is to ask “does this behavior nourish the nachash or the Jewish nation? Does the energy of this go to the Satan or to tikun process?” Such behavior you describe would seem to feed the Satan who has gone to great lengths in these end times to keep himself alive.
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Thanks and I like how you think😃
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Clarification for my above comment…do you believe you would allow yourself to be killed rather than draft into the IDF?
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Maybe these ultra orthodox people don’t know there are other ways to serve our country without enlisting. Since I was too old t serve when I made Aliya, (24), I taught English to soldiers for six semesters. NO, I DIDN’T WEAR A UNIFORM, but they did.
I EVEN GOT PAID.
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