Israel is waging a war of survival on seven fronts, and the ultra-Orthodox Jews, on the orders of their rabbis, refuse to take up arms in defense the biblical homeland. In their protests, they repeatedly emphasize that they would rather die than serve in the Israel Defense Forces. This is a very controversial issue among the Israeli people and in many families. In my family, too, there is an ultra-Orthodox branch that, for heaven’s sake, does not want to do military service.
“We pray around the clock and learn Torah,” is the monotonous answer of my sister and all of her adult children. Their cousins, our children, on the other hand, were all at war, in Gaza or Lebanon. It didn’t matter, they prayed for the soldiers every day. To be honest, that bothers me less today and that’s why I get less upset about it. There is simply no reasonable argument to explain to them why they think wrongly, and the same is true from their point of view. Conversely, they cannot give me a convincing argument why...
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Dear Aviel, I see you argument in this case basing on the principle of equal rights and equal duties. But on the other hand: those who are just praying may be blessed, but they have very few rights in a liberal society that give them shelter. In fact they can not get profit in nearly no case from liberal living. I don’t think you, me and most of all people really want to take their place. I think it’s easy to understand.
And there is another argument which is actually much more understandable: What should IDF do with these people? No army can stand strong recruiting people who doesn’t want to fight. Always it is better to send them home.
And, I repeat it once more: If Israel really do need more trained soldiers, more skilled officers it easily can build up an international brigade of Jews and Jew-friendly people from abroad to help. Of those who wants to fight for Israel and for those who are praying.
Have they not noticed that it was Hashem who re-established Israel, and fought for Israel in its wars, including today. Therefore why do they oppose what Hashem is doing in Israel, by refusing to serve in the army. It is not a case of either/or but Hashem requires us to be fully committed in both studying torah and be willing to serve in the IDF !