In recent days, I have repeatedly engaged with the school strikes by German youth against a possible reintroduction of military conscription in Germany. From an Israeli perspective, this phenomenon initially seems alien. But you know what? We too have a group that, in its own way, is carrying out a similar kind of strike against military service: the ultra-orthodox yeshiva and Torah students. For religious reasons, they refuse service in the army while their brothers from the same people are at war. On the instructions of their rabbis, they are protesting against the planned law that would end this special exemption and also include orthodox students in national conscription. On their placards one reads slogans such as: “We would rather die than be drafted”; “Better that Hamas kills me than that I become secular”; “We do not believe in the rule of the unbelievers, and we will not appear in their offices”; “Better to die as an ultra-orthodox than to report for military service as a secular Israeli”; and even “Stalin is here”
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The Orthodox view that being drafted into the IDF will make them secular. Over the last few years it seems that the IDF has the opposite effect, the Secular will soon refuse to serve because of the danger of becoming ‘religious’ !