Well, isn't this a bit over the top?
The original article - which was 'disappeared' but can still be found on Google cache - is even more over the top.
I went on the vosizneias.com website to check out the rally, because I expected them to bring the authentic stuff. I wasn’t disappointed, even though they just lifted the AP story without attribution:Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. The Jewish Press in Israel is the world's expert at lifting entire articles without attribution. If they have to attribute it, they won't publish it.
“We’re all united against military service for religious men in Israel because it doesn’t allow for religious learning,” said Peggy Blier, an interior designer from Brooklyn. “The Israeli government is looking to destroy religious society and make the country into a secular melting pot.”
Every single point made by Peggy Blier is a blatant lie. Of course the law allows for religious learning, it merely suggests that at some point—way past the age non-Haredim serve, and for half the time that normal Israelis give freely of their lives—”religious Jews in Israel” should participate in caring for the security of their country, or, if that’s too much, serve the equivalent time in vital organizations inside their own communities for their own neighbors.
That, according to Peggy Blier, is a conspiracy on the part of the Israeli government to destroy religious society.
They once asked if they could republish one of my posts, and I said that they could - provided that they linked back to my blog. I was willing to let them republish the entire post and not just an excerpt that would have driven traffic to me (the only way they would consider it). They refused. They wrote that they don't link back to other people's blogs (I have the emails to prove that exchange).
They did offer to publish my blog on their site. So glad I declined the offer.... I'll stay out of the sewers, thank you.
By the way, the person who wrote the article was fired. The apology that includes the firing notice basically says 'we're in New York and we gave the Israeli branch too much autonomy.' Maybe this will give the Jewish Press an incentive to take control of what goes on in their name in Israel.
Labels: baseless hatred, draft, God, Haredim, IDF, Torah
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:42 PM
6 Comments:
I find a bit of a contradiction within your own wording.
Your title calls this a bit over the top. Your commentary calls this in the sewers.
IMO your title's description is more accurate. There is truth to what Yanover claims in his title.
The bottom line is Haredim are calling for other Jews to die in the IDF instead of them. They are rallying so they do not have to fight and can sit back as others do the fighting for them.
No shy guy
We are not afraid of death
What we are against is two things.
one of them is pressure to conform to standards that are below what we consider acceptable when it comes to halocha, the other is using soldiers lives as a political and pr tool.
We all agree that many times politicians stifle the army because of considerations that have nothing to do with security and everything to do with what people the likes of Desmond tutu will say about us and this directly can lead to the loss of lives of our soldiers.
If you want to believe that the what the chief of staff or prime minister says ifs holy then you are welcome to it, but we don't.
If the army saw lives of our soldiers the way the Torah sees them we would have even less issue with service
Uknown,
Your halachic standards are mostly my halachic standards.
I also do not believe that what the COS or PM says is "holy".
I will repeat what I have commented here before: since 1948, the Haredi Gedolim have not demanded lechatchilah to be allowed to set up in the IDF a completely LECHATCHILAH Torah-based division, where all Shomer Mitzvot Jews could serve. Almost 70 years of silence, of not even willing to offer on condition, of nothing but "you" versus "we" - precisely like your comment!!!
The protest that was held a week ago should have been to allow the formation of a totally Jewish army to defend Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael.
Why am I not surprised!
Carl, I love your blog. But when it comes to military service, I beg to differ.
The litmus test is not whether you or I think that it is right or fair, but what the average Israeli thinks. And what the average Israeli thinks and sees is that Haredim are copping out & not sharing the responsibilities equally.
If the Israeli army does not meet Haredi standards, then let Haredim join the military and raise them.
Unknown, which is a bigger concern: "pressure to conform to standards that are below what we consider acceptable" - or death? If Haredim should be exempt from the army because they might be pressured, why shouldn't everyone else be exempt because they might be killed?
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