Q&A: Haredim, the Military, and Work
Haredim, the Military, and Work
Question
In the United States, most Haredim go to work, but in Israel most Haredim do not go to work. What explains this difference?
Why don’t the Haredim in Israel establish military companies that are 100 percent adapted to the spirit of the Torah? After all, this is the Haredi problem with not serving in the army—because of the army’s poor spiritual conditions.
Answer
Who is the question addressed to? Do you see a Haredi spokesperson here who can answer on their behalf?
Discussion on Answer
Some say that the Haredim in America are basically Religious Zionist in terms of level.
The question is based on an incorrect assumption. The thought process goes like this:
They don’t go to the army.
There is mandatory conscription.
Conclusion: so they stay in yeshiva.
If you’re in yeshiva until age 26, usually you’re a kollel student with children. So how exactly do you want him to go study for a degree?!
If you really want the Haredim to work, give them an exemption already at age 18.5.
Allow free academic studies.
And wait 20 years.
Let them feel that they are obligated to serve in the army, but are nevertheless being given an exemption.
There are two problems: the military one and the economic one. Regarding the first, the problem is the blanket exemption from the outset, because in practice a quarter of those eligible for enlistment do not enlist, and half of the non-combat soldiers enlist only in order to motivate the combat soldiers. If the army, God forbid, ever decided to become efficient, then the combat soldiers would really feel like suckers, and we would have a problem. Besides, the army does not really want Haredim. The state understands that “Jewish-democratic” is not one size fits all. There is no economic possibility of establishing entire combat battalions in the style of Netzah Yehuda; it simply is not economically worthwhile. Of course, we should do the maximum possible, including national service in the fire department, Magen David Adom, etc.
The more significant problem is the economic one. The point is that, sincerely and truly, tens of percent of Haredi women work because they want their husbands to sit in kollels. That is fine, but we just need to make sure that the state as a collective is not a party to this matter. And here the secular, for generations, from left and right, have been partners in this wrongdoing.
I assume a Haredi person would answer you that besides the problem of adapting things to the spirit of the Torah, there is also the issue of allowing whoever wants to learn Torah in a yeshiva without interruptions. In other words, the concern is not only secularization in the army, but also the loss of study time. They would probably also tell you that Torah study contributes to the Jewish people on the same level as military service, and therefore it does not violate equality.