Q&A: Haredi Conscription
Haredi Conscription
Question
I’ve always tended to think there are three groups that aren’t really interested in Haredi conscription. 1. The Haredi public: at least its operatives and political fixers (I want to believe their rabbis are innocent of this). This is what they make their living from, this is what they ride on, and this is their electoral power—to save their public from the “decree of conscription.”
2. The Religious Zionist public, at least those in the Knesset. Because then what would distinguish them? After all, “we’re the religious people who both enlist and are also part of society.” Today I think they want to be the commanders of the Haredim—when they enlist, they’ll be above them.
3. The camp of Lapid and people like him, for example. After all, he rode the hatred around “equal sharing of the burden” and “vote for me so I can solve this issue.” There were countless opportunities and he didn’t solve it, because if he had solved it, what unique reason would people have to vote for him? Today I’m not sure about him, and also not about the Haredim. What do you say about all this?
Answer
Baseless speculation.
By the way, the Haredi political operatives also have no interest in presenting their public in a positive light, for example by showing more pay slips from those who work, or that their wives work at high rates.