Guest Op-Ed from Zev Rubin
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It is always easier to invent an enemy than to look in the mirror.
Eli Paley’s latest article in the Mishpacha magazine begins with a painful truth. The cuts in yeshiva funding are real. The financial pressure now bearing down on thousands of Charedi families is real. So is the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Torah world. On this, there is little room for disagreement.
Where I part company with him is in the story he tells about how we got here. According to Paley, the present crisis is the product of a sophisticated ideological campaign. Progressive organizations, NGOs, think tanks, courts, bureaucrats, and government officials are all cast as parts of a single machine whose purpose is to dismantle the Torah world.
It is an attractive explanation, not because it is necessarily true, but because it demands nothing of us. History is filled with movements that explain every setback by pointing to a single villain. We Jews are intimately familiar with such tactics as they are used routinely by anti semites. Such stories are comforting. They relieve us of the burden of self-examination. If everything is the fault of our “enemies,” then nothing is ever our responsibility.
That is the real danger of Paley’s article. Not that ideological opponents do not exist; of course they do. The danger lies in convincing an entire community that those opponents explain everything.
There is a Simpler Explanation
Perhaps we should begin with the obvious. For nearly three years, Israel has been fighting the longest and most exhausting war in its history. Hundreds of thousands of reservists have left behind families, businesses, studies, and careers. Tens of thousands have been wounded, and thousands have been killed. An entire society has been carrying an extraordinary burden.
One may support the current Charedi draft policy or oppose it. One may believe deeply, as I do, in the centrality of Torah learning for the Jewish people. But one fact is difficult to ignore: many Israelis look at this reality and feel that the burden has not truly been shared by the Charedi community.
That feeling is not simply the creation of progressive think tanks. It is not merely the product of hostile NGOs or clever legal strategists. It is the product of lived experience. To acknowledge this would require real self-reflection and serious conversation. It would force us to ask hard questions about responsibility, solidarity, Torah, statehood, and the meaning of sharing a national destiny. It is far easier to blame a villain and ride the familiar waves of right-versus-left politics.
Perhaps the most troubling part of the article comes at its end. Paley argues that the coalition built around Keren Olam HaTorah should become a sophisticated international advocacy movement to proactively defend the Charedi world. In practical terms, this means using wealth and political access abroad to pressure foreign politicians, who in turn will pressure Israel.
This is quite a troubling proposal. At a time when Israel is already under extraordinary international pressure, encouraging Charedi Jews around the world to organize political pressure against Israel’s institutions is not what Am Yisrael needs. It may feel like strength, but it risks deepening the alienation between Charedi society and the broader Israeli public at precisely the moment when we most need responsibility, trust, and shared purpose.
The Charedi movement lost me when they said even those who aren’t learning can’t go to the army. If my son can go to Gaza with his gemara so can those who aren’t learning full time.
Running to the nations of the world to resolve our conflicts is precisely how Rome took over Eretz Yisrael! Jews approached the Roman government for help with internal politics. It is definitely NOT the way forward!
Relying on the nations, rather than Hashem, for solving our problems is a very not good idea and has been tested with disastrous results.
Charedi men need to take responsibility for their women and children and go to work the same way our heilige ancestors did in the alte heim. It’s really that simple.
The religious parties had 3+ years to offer an alternative to full military service. They didn’t offer a single plan as far as I can tell. It could have been a cap on full time learners mixed with limited, simple civil service, doesn’t have to be combat…maybe only when the reserves are called up (when the army/country really needs help), etc etc. They offered nothing. No rebuttal.
I strongly disagree with your article. But I don’t agree with the Mishpacha article either. What you wrote comes across as repeating the “share the burden” narrative. If someone sincerely believes that serving is forbidden — whether because he follows the Eidah HaChareidis or because he feels it will harm his Yiddishkeit — then yes, he should not join. That’s a valid position, not avoidance.
What really surprises me is that you didn’t mention the protests. In my opinion, that’s the single most visible and aggravating factor for those who do serve. It’s one thing to oppose the draft ideologically and work through political channels. But blocking traffic and staging disruptive demonstrations — similar to what left‑wing groups do — understandably irritates soldiers and reservists. That’s a major part of the tension, and it shouldn’t be ignored.
So now the anti-IDF Charedi use selective Torah portions to justify being anti-IDF. That’s called circular thinking. When pro-Israel Jews use the same Torah, its discounted by Charedi.
Great article, yasher koach to VIN for airing this perspective. I recommend that people also look for R. Moshe Klausner’s Kuntrus on the topic.
Actually, your most important statement is: “It would force us to ask hard questions about responsibility, solidarity, Torah, statehood, and the meaning of sharing a national destiny.” Excellent. Except that these hard questions have already been asked since the beginning of the Zionist movement. You probably know the various answers Gedolei Yisroel have given then and now. You keep suggesting that “we” need to ask “ourselves” questions, as if we don’t have anyone to ask for guidance. And then if we ask ourselves these hard questions you expect “us” to see the light and… do what exactly? Become Religious Zionists or some new “Chareidi Zionist” or “Chardak” or who-knows-what movement?
All other internal differences aside, the core of the difference between the “hashkafah” of the Chareidi world and that of the Religious Zionist world (let alone the secular Zionists and “Post Zionists”) is that “statehood and the meaning of sharing a national destiny” – as in the destiny of the State of Israel, have zero to do with our Covenant as a people. “Our people is a people through Torah” said Rabbeinu Sa’adya Gaon. Our national destiny is defined by our loyalty to Hashem and His Torah. The fact that some 140 years ago some people decided that they needed a different definition of Jewish nationhood and destiny doesn’t change anything. Your suggesting introspection on these specific issues points to a “hashkafic” agenda on your part that doesn’t go together with how you present yourself and the forum in which you choose to do so…
The Chareidi/Secular divide in Israel, with the RZ trying in vain to be both at the same time, goes back to the beginning of the Zionist movement, before there even was a state, or an army, or conflict with Arab nationalist ambitions. (There were Chareidim and lehavdil Arabs here for centuries, but both disputes began when the Secular decided to show up…) To blame it on October 7th is like viewing Jewish history and nationhood as starting with the Holocaust. (Oh, there are actually people who think that way… But not us Baruch Hashem…)
Back to the specific issue in the Mishpacha article and your response to it. You conveniently forget that this has been going on long before “October 7th”, and that even the latest flare-up began with the Supreme Court cancelling the existing draft law, which happened before “October 7th”. Which was part of a series of actions on both sides of the political/judicial divide (that has no parallel in any government in the world, democratic or otherwise) that led to the “Kaplan protests”. During which the Leftist oligarchs threatened among other things to shut down Israel’s economy if any attempt is made to curtail their power. They also openly appealed to foreign governments, including the Biden administration, to pressure Israel’s elected government to relent. So don’t be so quick to let those people off the hook, or to criticize Eli Palei for suggesting something that actually has already been done, but by our enemies. Whether his idea is good for the Jews or not, I will leave for bigger people to decide. Kal v’chomer that “hard questions about responsibility, solidarity, Torah, statehood, and the meaning of sharing a national destiny” are for Gedolei Yisroel to decide.
The peanut gallery can pound away to their hearts’ content, but the Ribbono Shel Olam runs the world. I have been living in Eretz Yisroel for 30 years, and always, all the time, the news is how “NOW we’re gonna get those no-good Chareidim and NOW we’re gonna get them in the army and to stop having kids and to stop listening to the Rabbonim and NOW…” And there were always the tongue-clucking “Chardakim” or whatever you want to call them suggesting “asking ourselves” etc. Same old garbage. B’ezras Hashem our great-grandchildren will still be here after the last Chiloni does teshuva/dies of old age/moves to Chutz La’aretz. If you want yours to also be with us, then ask your questions to real Gedolei Yisroel and not to the peanut gallery.
1. in the era of smart phone gotchas any discussion or introspection will become fodder for our son’im. Perhaps hafgonos should contain a measure of koved rosh and bochurim should learn to not open their mouths with immature comments to the police and civians. They should also tuck in their shirts and act like bnei Torah.
no one should be moiser to the akum – that would be an unfortunate, and harmful yeitzer horo.
i suggested, 2 years ago, an idea that, while it would meaning nothing to the outside world, would be character buiding for bnei torah. /If some could get a list of those who were killed and those who were maimed, the name, and statistics of each one should be prepared, and each bochur should receive one name – to daven for, and to learn l’zchuso.
bottom line, these soldiers are in sakana to protect us; something like this would keep that in our hearts and minds, which is where it should be.
The secular population in Israel will never “Feel” like the Chareidim share the burden with them since they don’t value Judaism, they are Atheists. They don’t value preserving the last 10% of worldwide Jews who still scrupuliosly observe the Mitzvos of the Torah. It’s not our job to make them feel better, our job is to do the right thing which is rotzon Hashem.
If the only way to preserve the last remnant of faithful Jews is by pressuring this secular state from without then by all means I support that. The secular court & attorney general brought it upon themselves.
I’m ready for the downvotes from the many zionist readers on this site who believe Judaism & zionism fit together like a glove. I follow the majority of Gedolei Yisroel who instructed us otherwise.
Say I agree with your logic, should all the “Jobniks” in the army like Drivers, Cooks Engineers, Office jobs etc, who aren’t endangering their children to serve also lose out on all benefits and not get any funding from the State?
I assume you will argue that they are part of the system that is enabling the soldier to go out and win. I must also assume that you don’t feel that the Yeshiva buchrim are also helping the army win with the Torah they are learning as otherwise your letter makes no sense.
In conclusion, I assume Rabbi Paleys article was geared to “US” that believe our torah learning is helping the army as much, if not more than any other unit in the army.
I’m sorry, but as long as their being arrested for the community they belong in even if what your saying has a point, it becomes pointless. Ultimately people see through making the victim into a bully!
Couldn’t disagree more with the nameless author of this essay. The fight for Shivayon binetel has been going on for years. It was always drummed up by aspiring political movements trying to burnish their credentials with the left. It hit a high in the months before Oct.7, and was quiet thereafter until the last while. The author of this essay has very selective memory.
For some reason so many Americans conflate the anti-Charedi sentiment on the street with the anti-Charedi left wing vehicle which has long aimed to dismantle Charedi society. Yes, there is huge anti-charedi sentiment on the street, yes it is very understandable and justified. However, the current measures being enacted are being pushed and have been put in place by a whole other movement which is a minor, fringe radical left wing network.
Even Bennett, one of the most ardent political figures at the moment speaking out against Charedisim, admitted the arrests are harmful. And yes there is some overlap, for example the Supreme Judge Sohlberg who is a Dati Leumi right winger, but for the most part the measures are being pushed by the far left who would hate Charedi no matter what.
The article started out good but ended bad
Certainly true that it’s not healthy to play victim, but the solution is not to cave to them but to truly fight for change for example I never saw it fight for juditial reform there are many things to do but they enjoy playing victim
Also this campaign is truellyto increase chareidi enlistment they should know that it will have a opposite effect so it’s obviously not the point
The enemies of the Torah and of Medinas Yisroel are using foreign donors and foreign governments to fight us. Therefoe it is legitimate for us to enlist foreign support.
The army has always set as one of its goals to acculturate (i.e. shmad) frum people. Even the Dati Leumi rabbonim are quite concerned now and have started to speak out.
The hareidim will be more willing to go into the army of the army stops this policy. One simple example – Kol Isha. There is absolutely no operational imperative for dati soldiers being forced to listen to Kol Isha.
We have also seen reported cases of male and female soldiers sharing the same sleeping accomodations, i.e. in the same room.
Integrating women into the tank corps represents a serious issue of issur yichud.
And so on.
Do not try to shmad the Hareidim or the Datiim. Do not force people into assur situations for non-operational needs.
Much of the problems are self inflicted, both by the chilonim as well as the Chareidim.
Go back 50 or 60 years and you might see Chareidim walking he streets of Yershalayim in uniform. The Chilonim in the army for started making life difficult in the army for the Chareidim with various forms of harassment. So the Chareidm avoided the army. Now they want them to join. Stupidity (deliberate?) is so bad that the other week the Mizrachi whose student ALL go to the army was threatening to their people out of the army!
On the other side you have Chareidim taking actions that cause the Chilonim to hate Chareidim and cause pressure to defund them as well as force them into the army. Demonstrations that block traffic just exacerbate the situation. Blocking traffic is so counter productive that Chilonim that are anti Chareidi are known to put up pashkevillim encouraging the Chareidim to block traffic as this just ends up causing more pressure to defund the Chareidim and presuure them to enter the army.
Draft the Israeli Arabs, or at least make them do national service instead of blood sucking the country dry. Instead of picking on the group of fellow Jews that learn the most, people forgot that Torah is the greatest contribution there is. Give a donation to keren olam hatorah, help the rabbanim in need, the same rabbanim that the hostages visited when they got out because they finally understood what kedusha was. Don’t be a Yair golan or naftali Bennett yemach shemo. I doubt there’s really a Jew that believes helping the gedolei hador is going to boomerang back against you. Couldn’t be a greater Merit possible in this world, give yourself a elul zechus
Nice article
I left the hareidi mindset as a teenager when i went to the Bais Yaakov play in Toronto and saw that instead of sitting all the beauty of Eretz Yisrael and how HaShem is closing is to Come Home, they focused on (and somewhat embellished) the secular Zionist ideology of a modern Jew. Why do i say they embellished it? Because the same secular Zionists who wanted to make everyone secular still learnt more Tanach than any Hareidi yeshiva student. They made the army kosher so that religious Jews could serve comfortably. They invited anti-Zionist religious representatives to serve in the government. The Israeli budget has always given large sums to religious institutions.
Their religiosity lacks depth and substance. There is no genuine resolution when people hide their piety behind religious appearances, especially when they fear that interacting with less religious individuals might weaken their own faith.
The major concern is not if its fair or not but would having chraidim who do have been brainwashed their whole lives against serving in the army be required to be on the battle field where they (even not meaning to ) could cause harm to their fellow soldiers they have a different way of thinking and they are always sure that they know better besides the religious issues that might come up. I have heard of cases where some charadi soldiers blew shofer on Rosh hashana which alerted the enemy where the Israelis were this was only one example of how their unconventional way of thinking endangerd the lives of the Israelis soldiers one has to evaluate what is more important requiring the charaidim to be on the battle field or doing what will enable Israel to have a victory with the least casualties Of course they should be given tasks that would (if possible)not cause harm to Israeli soldiers off the battlefield. Many of those demanding that the charaidim be drafted really don’t want them in the army they are doing it to create division for political purposes that’s probably why all of a sudden when some charaidim did join the army the mixing of genders became an issue they dont want the charaidim but they want the issue they were scared of the spirit of unity that prevailed at the onset of the war. Of course the way the charaidim acted with their demonstrations blocking traffic made the situation worse
Ben Gurian literally sank the Altalina he literally gave orders to shoot at the Jews swimming ashore from the Altalina. The IDF will kill Jews who defend the country. Ramatkal on October 6th made sure there was only 48 soldiers on the Gaza border, where there’s normally 3000 to 5,000; and out of those 48 half of them were 18 year old girls that don’t know how to hold a gun. The IDF manufactures wars because they’re getting paid off by the weapons manufacturers in the States. The whole concept that that there’s a war is only because it’s manufactured by the traitors. Why does it make any sense to take orders from the traitors when we davan three times a day that the traitors should be destroyed? And you are suggesting that we should take orders from them?!
“whose purpose is to dismantle the Torah world”
This lie has to stop. Its nonsense. No this isn’t czarist russia with cantonists. Stop being so silly. They just want people to intergrate like we do in the USA. I think part of the attack is because the charedim know deep inside we are wrong . this gehtto like life is not what g-d wants. And then they lie again, first they say we can’t go bec of torah study. And then even not learners can’t go. A bunch of hypocrites. They just dont want to say that either way they ain’t going
There are many valid points, however one part I’m missing. The article starts of saying “The cuts in yeshiva funding are real. The financial pressure now bearing down on thousands of Charedi families is real.” Why has that got anything to do with the army? Why are the yeshivas getting funding from the state in the first place? And Why does that have a reliance on going to the army or not?
so right
Idiocy. The Chilonim can put yidden in jail but no one can put pressure on the chilonim? If they don’t like blowblack from their victims, they shouldn’t kidnap them.
And only an idiot would say a community should join an army whose top brass hates them. The Mizzies did it, and then they complain about abuse from the top brass all day. Maybe just have a little self respect.
we wont serve no matter what as the gedolim said so
GREAT ARTICAKLE AND POINT.
Baruch Hashem the oilom hatorah are starting to see that there is a Hester ponim by the gedolim hashem yishmor. In the meantime the recruitment numbers steadily rise and there is a path for all to beblll mikayem this mitzvah