OP-ED: I Spent A Year Listening To The Charedi Public. This Is What I Heard

Op-Ed By Moti Leitner

Around a year ago, the Charedi community suddenly seemed to become the subject of every front page, television debate and political confrontation in Israel. Questions about Torah study, military service, education, employment and the relationship between Charedim and the state were no longer being discussed quietly. They had become the center of a national storm.

Much of the public discussion was hostile, simplistic and disconnected from the reality of Charedi life. Yet as I watched our established Charedi political representatives respond, I became increasingly troubled. Their answer to every attack was another accusation. Their answer to every difficult question was another slogan. There was anger, blame and endless talk about what could not be done, but almost no serious discussion about what could be done.

So I decided to listen. I traveled across the country and met Charedim from different communities, backgrounds and stages of life. I spoke with avreichim and working fathers, mothers struggling to support large families, educators, business owners, young people trying to find their place and those who had already begun to feel that there was no place for them at all. I listened to people from Chassidish, Litvish and Sephardi communities, including those who remain deeply connected to the existing institutions and those who increasingly feel pushed to their margins.

The details differed, but the message was remarkably consistent: people were not happy. They did not feel represented. They did not believe their voices were being heard. Many felt trapped between two political camps, neither of which truly understood them. On one side were those who spoke about the Charedi community as a problem to be solved, often proposing measures from outside without understanding our values, responsibilities or way of life. On the other side were the parties that had claimed to represent us for four decades, but had become more effective at preserving their political power than addressing the mounting difficulties within our homes and communities.

The people I met did not want to abandon Torah life; they wanted to protect it. They did not want outsiders to dictate their future, but they also understood that refusing to confront reality was placing that future in danger. They asked difficult but necessary questions. How can a father support his family with dignity without feeling that he must choose between earning a living and belonging to his community? What future is being offered to a young man who is not suited to full-time Torah study? Why are educational options so limited for those who need a different path? How can military or national service be made appropriate for those who are able and willing to serve without requiring them to sacrifice their religious identity? How can genuine Torah learners receive the respect and support they deserve while other members of the community are given the tools to build independent lives?

These questions are not attacks on the world of Torah. Ignoring them is what threatens the world of Torah. That listening campaign led to the establishment of HaTzibbur HaCharedi – The Charedi Public Party, a new political home for Charedim who believe that protecting Torah requires responsible leadership, honesty and practical solutions.

We stand for strengthening genuine Torah study, expanding educational and professional opportunities, enabling dignified employment, developing appropriate frameworks for military or meaningful national service, and helping Charedi families become more economically self-reliant.

None of this means weakening our identity or allowing others to determine who we should become. It means ensuring that every member of our community has a place, a future and the ability to contribute according to his or her circumstances and abilities.

The answers will not come from opposition politicians who seek to impose their worldview and plans upon us. They do not possess the trust, understanding or cultural sensitivity required to produce lasting change.

However, after many decades of political representation without meaningful progress on the central challenges facing our community, we must also acknowledge that the answers will not come from the existing Charedi parties. If they were going to provide those answers, they would have done so by now.

The answers must come from within the Charedi community itself. Those without connections, without access to the portals of power. They must be developed by people who love Torah, understand Charedi life and recognize both the pain within our community and our responsibilities to the wider Jewish people. At the same time, they must be advanced through cooperation with other parts of Israeli society.

We cannot secure our future through hermetic isolation, nor can Israel build its future through coercion. A strong Charedi community and a strong Am Yisrael are not competing goals. They depend upon one another. Israel needs a Charedi community that is confident, economically secure and able to contribute its values and talents to the country. The Charedi community needs an Israel that respects Torah, protects religious life and treats Charedim as partners rather than as a burden or an enemy.

We have spent too many years shouting past one another. The result has been greater poverty, deeper alienation, growing resentment and diminishing trust. We now have a small window in which to choose another path. HaTzibbur HaCharedi – The Charedi Public Party was created because our community deserves more than excuses, and Am Yisrael deserves more than endless confrontation. We can protect the world of Torah, restore dignity and opportunity to thousands of families, and build a healthier relationship with the rest of Israel. But first, the Charedi public must finally be heard.

The writer is Chairman of HaTzibbur HaCharedi – The Charedi Public Party, a new political home for Charedim who believe that protecting the world of Torah requires responsible leadership and practical solutions to the challenges facing our community. We stand for genuine Torah study, increased educational options, dignified employment, appropriate military or national service, economic self-reliance and a stronger partnership between the Charedi community and all of Am Yisrael.