They reject conscription and secularism.. “Haredim” are a new crisis for Netanyahu

Although exempt Orthodox Jews “Hardcore”Haredim“From recruitment since its founding Israel In 1948, the demands to force them to conscript, like other citizens, were not as severe as they are now. This reveals the urgent need to increase the number of soldiers, as the war continues, with no prospect of ending, and the possibility of opening another front on the northern border with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

News of the imminent issuance of a decision by the Supreme Court requiring their conscription sparked intense anger among the Haredi ranks, to the point that they went out in demonstrations to reject this, including clashes with the police a few days ago.

The peak of anger reached the point that the Chief Eastern Rabbi of Israel, Yitzhak JosephOn Saturday, he threatened that religious Jews would leave the country if they were forced to perform military service, saying that religious institute students devoting themselves to studying the Torah “gives protection to the army.”

Who are the Haredim?

• An orthodox Jewish sect that arose in the 19th century in Eastern Europe.

• The name Haredim is the plural of the singular word Haredi, and the name carries several meanings and connotations. Among them are the pious, the fearful of God, and the people who isolate themselves.

• They constitute approximately 13% of the total population of Israel.

• Their males study until the age of forty in religious schools that only they can enter; This is one of the factors of their isolation and lack of harmony with the societies in which they live.

• In these schools, they learn Jewish law, and do not study secular sciences, except those that help save lives, such as medicine.

• The sect adheres to outdated interpretations of Jewish laws and ancient traditions, and refuses to reconsider them in accordance with the developments of the times.

• They have a special uniform, and they grow their beards up to their chests, and their hair extends beyond the ears.

• Haredi women always wear the niqab and their clothing is mostly black.

• They consider the Hebrew language a sacred language, to the point that some of them avoid using it, and speak “Yiddish,” which is the language of Eastern European Jews.

• They prohibit the use of television, telephones, and everything produced by technology.

• They oppose the secular state and conscription into its army.

• They also strongly oppose the Zionist movement, considering it a threat to traditional Jewish life. It adapts itself to the developments of the times and the fluctuations of politics.

How did they enter Israel?

Despite their opposition to the Zionist movement, some of them agreed to immigrate and live in Israel, which is one of the creations of this movement, and this happened after they received a package of temptations and promises from Israeli officials, and the chapters of their story with Israel unfolded as follows:

• In 1948, when the establishment of the State of Israel was announced, the Haredim refused to recognize Zionism and many of them opposed the establishment of the State of Israel.

• But the Israeli Prime Minister at the time, David Ben-Gurion, gave them special treatment, allowing them to continue teaching traditional Judaism when they came to Israel.

• The Haredim stipulated that they would not be forced to conscript, and that they should live full-time to learn and teach the Torah, and establish schools for them.

• Ben Gurion then agreed to this, and a delegation from Europe and the United States, including numbers of Haredim, agreed. What was important to him was to gather the largest number of Jews in the emerging Israel.

• Since then, the Haredim have not joined the Israeli army, and have formed a closed community for themselves.

Why do they refuse conscription?

• The Haredim believe that any worldly work that distracts them from studying Jewish law is unacceptable.

• The matter is not only related to the army, but also to all non-religious institutions. They do not join jobs there, and depend on government support.

• For their males to remain in religious schools until the age of forty, they will be freed from conscription, which is at a much younger age.

Opinion of Israeli society

Regarding the opinion of Israeli society regarding the position of the Haredim on conscription, the researcher specializing in Israeli affairs, Ibrahim Daoud, told Sky News Arabia that the government left the door to conscription open to them according to their desires. Compulsory conscription does not apply to them.

However, according to Daoud, there is a large portion of Israelis who refuse this leniency towards them, and political parties and movements have even escalated the issue of conscripting them to the Supreme Court to apply compulsory recruitment to them.

Some tried to offer a compromise, by proposing to create a unit for them within the army, which would not obligate them to fight, but in which their mission would be to provide religious support to the soldiers, but, the political analyst continues, the Haredi leaders rejected even this proposal.

Point of agreement

Participants in the government, the opposition, and some parties agreed on the necessity of recruiting Haredim during the ongoing war, and their positions in this direction include:

• Minister in the government’s War Council, Benny Gantz, commented on Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef’s statement about the emigration of religious people from Israel if they are forced to conscript, saying that everyone must participate in military service in this “difficult time,” including the Haredim.

• The head of the “Israel Our Home” party, Avigdor Lieberman, accused Rabbi Yitzhak of endangering Israel’s security.

• Opposition leader, Yair Lapid, threatened that anyone who refuses conscription will not receive money from the state.

• At the beginning of this March, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his government would find a way to end the exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service.