Q&A: Shortened Service for Religious Zionists
Shortened Service for Religious Zionists
Question
I read a claim of yours about shortened military service for Religious Zionists. Your main arguments were that this is justified because in most cases they do meaningful service (for example, high percentages in combat units), and also: who decided that service in a yeshiva is less important than service in the IDF Theater and the like?
And I was astonished to read this; apparently love distorts the line.
First, why not broaden your rule and give shortened service to anyone who serves in combat? Why keep it only for Religious Zionists?
As long as you do not do that, you are discriminating between two individuals who are doing the same service.
The fact that one of the two decided to devote part of his time to Torah study neither adds nor subtracts, since that is his own personal matter.
Second, indeed, someone who serves in a role like the IDF Theater and the like is doing less meaningful service. But from the moment the army decided that this is one of the services it needs (whether for boosting morale or whatever), we have no choice but to treat that service as a necessity.
If some group thinks that service in the IDF Theater is unnecessary, that group is welcome to work to change the situation so that there will be no soldiers in the IDF Theater, instead of using that service as an excuse for their own draft-dodging.
Answer
I do not know which statement of mine you are referring to and what exactly you mean. As I understand from your words, what I said was that if people study Torah, they contribute to the Jewish people, and therefore in my opinion there is room to give them concessions in military service. Other combat soldiers do not study Torah, so I did not understand your question as to why they should receive similar concessions.
The army (or the state) also decided that Torah study is meaningful service. So that is not an argument.