Manipulating Reality

The government's plan for drafing haredim is deceptive, and it cheats Israelis who already unfairly bear the burden of protecting and supporting haredim who will neither protect or support themselves.

Manipulating Reality
Ben Caspit • Ma’ariv (p. 5)
Translation: Didi Remez • Coteret.com
Special to FailedMessiah.com

The government plan for drafting ultra-Orthodox, reported yesterday in Yedioth Ahronoth, fails to rise even to the level of deception. It is predicated on the assumption that most of us do not really understand this complex and tortuous issue, and that we can be bought through various statistics. Incidentally, the numbers published in the plan are inaccurate. According to its figures, today there are 5,500 draftable ultra-Orthodox men. In fact, there are really some 7,000.

What is the most prominent proof that the plan is problematic? The fact is that the chief of staff, who is the ultimate person responsible for this plan, was not even invited to the cabinet meeting on Sunday, where the plan is to become official. Around here, no one is excited any more by the fact that the chief of staff does not get invited to such a meeting. The defense minister has made this a regular matter. But in this case, I think this fact attests to something more serious. How is it that a meeting that discusses a plan that concerns an issue so crucial  to the future of the IDF, to the military enlistment ethos, to the continued existence of the people’s army as well as Israeli social cohesion, is to take place in the absence of the IDF chief of staff? One should ask [cabinet secretary] Zvika Hauser. Perhaps they are simply afraid that Ashkenazi, who no longer has a lot to lose, will simply stand up and tell the truth, to both the ministers and the public.

MK Yohanan Plesner of Kadima heads a special team of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that discusses that issue of drafting ultra-Orthodox to the IDF, monitors the implementation of the Tal Law and is working on a substitute. He too is outside the loop of the present plan, which was secretly circulated on Wednesday night without any significant public debate or proper professional discussion. Plesner yesterday dispatched an urgent letter to the prime minister and ministers and called on them to refrain from bringing the plan to a vote. He detailed, on two densely written pages, all of the plan’s shortcomings. Plesner attempted to reach Director of Human Resources Branch Maj. Gen. Avi Zamir in order to hear his opinion on the plan, but Zamir did not get back to him. Perhaps he too, as a man in uniform, feels uncomfortable about the affair.

This ambitious government plan has three real goals: the first, to add a spoonful of sugar to the medicine called the “yeshiva student bill” which is also supposed to be approved next week (regarding the budgets for kollel students that sparked such a storm when it was discussed last time); the second, to somewhat loosen the bear hug from Eli Yishai and the ultra-Orthodox now around Netanyahu’s neck. It’s supposed to say, “here, I’m drafting them and peace and quiet shall reign”; the third, and the most important, to signal the High Court of Justice, which is supposed to discuss the implementation of the Tal Law next month, that all is fine, nothing has to be done, the ultra-Orthodox are on the verge of being drafted, and there is no need for the High Court of Justice to force the principle of equality on this country.

Fear not: perhaps the media and public will buy this charade, but the High Court of Justice will not be tempted to do so. The judges are supposed to also read the fine print and understand how we are being had. They will understand how this plan, in fact, encourages draft-dodging, lowers the age of military service exemption and significantly expands it. At the same time, it ostensibly talks about drafting the ultra-Orthodox, but fails to note that their service is to last three months. Reality and the numbers are being manipulated, and after this supposed achievement, the government is quick to brag. The judges will also realize that no budgets have been allocated for the special ultra-Orthodox military framework (this is expensive stuff), and they will further understand that while this plan calls for increasing participation in national and civilian services, no plan exists for its implementation. After all, also today there is national and civilian service track with hundreds of open positions, but only dozens of them get filled.

What does this remind us of? The NIS 100 million that the government was quick to approve for the firefighting service (but failed to actually pass on the funds) 15 minutes after the state comptroller’s report on the matter was released. Now too, with the High Court of Justice hearing approaching in the background, the government is quick to come up with an artificial, fictitious, and instant solution, accompanied by baseless headlines. Much to our misfortune, this plan will fail to change reality on the ground. The plan may pass, but the number of potential draftees will continue to grow. By 2020 there will already be 13,000 ultra-Orthodox per draft quarter (about 25% of the Jews designated for military service), only a fraction of them will undergo any meaningful military or national service, and whoever will then be chief of staff or director of the Human Resources Branch will have no one to talk to. It will be too late. So they’ll probably appoint a committee.

Ynet's report:

MK: Haredi recruitment 'deceptive'
Yohanan Plesner says recent government proposal to increase ultra-Orthodox recruitment to IDF misleading; numbers insufficient, fails to achieve aim of equality in bearing burden of service
Roni Sofer • Ynet

MK Yohanan Plesner (Kadima) expressed misgivings about a program intended to increase the number of ultra-Orthodox youth joining the army, saying "The proposal is deceptive." The chairman of the monitoring team for the application of the Tal law added, "The government is not recruiting haredim in sufficient numbers… and this undermines the aim of achieving equality in bearing the burden (of service) by young haredim."

"A careful reading of the proposal shows it is intended to pacify the High Court, and not to solve problems or lead to real change," Plesner wrote in a letter he sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and relevant other ministers and MKs.

Plesner also wrote that he doubted the proposal would offer real answers for the Supreme Court, which is to discuss petitions on the issue in January.

The MK claimed there was something suspicious in the fact that the government did not present the proposal to the Knesset, and in particular to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee which held dozens of debates on the issue during the last 18 months. However, the government did distribute the proposal to ministers and the media "in the dead of night."

Plesner said this year there are more than 7,000 male graduates of the haredi educational system, yet the target number for recruitment among yeshivas for the year 2015 is only 2,400 – just over one third.

'Not news'

"According to data presented to the review team, the number of male graduates of the haredi educational system in the year 2020 will be some 13,000, meaning that 65% of them (the program target) is 8,500," Plesner said. "This must be prepared for. According to the government proposal, in 2011 some 1,200 haredim will be recruited into the IDF. This is not much higher than the number of those who sign up anyway, so it's not really news."

"The target determined by the government proposal for 2015 is 2,400 recruits, which seems impressive, but more important than the number is the quality of their service, and how long they'll serve," he added. "There is no reference to this in the proposal. To achieve equality in bearing the burden of IDF service requires that we widen the tracks intended for those aged 18-21, because they are the ones able to serve in combat service and other significant service."

Plesner notes in the letter that older recruits, who are usually also married and have children, naturally tend to serve for shorter periods. "If we're talking of a shorter service period of three months, this isn't the kind of service which fulfills the aim of equality among recruits."

He also complains that according to the proposal, 1,200 haredim will do civil service in 2011. "This is a puzzling proposal, because the number doing civil service is higher already, and we must aspire to increase numbers, not decrease them," he says.

 

Comments

[A E ANDERSON]

I think these fears are unwarranted: while many haredim will defer military service until after marriage, thereby becoming eligible for a reduced stint, others from the empty, meaningless and idle haredi world will likely grasp wholeheartedly at military service as an exit from what many must by now see as the haredi life sentence of drudgery, limited economic opportunity and slavish devotion to bearded, hunchbacked rabbi savants.

And there's something else that will prove powerful in getting the haredi boys to get their hands off their cocks and go get some real, live Israeli hayelet poontang.

See http://www.mediafire.com/?dj0znmlwmdk (Cute Powerpoint show of Israeli female soldiers set to Yerushalayim Shel Zahav. Nothing like a soldier chick with a seductive smile and an M4 carbine, or a hot blonde babe in sunglasses herding Arab babushkas!)

[the usual chaim]

why is it that there is so much misogynist bullshit that people feel free to vomit into their comments here from the very people who claim moral superiority?

the things you describe are precisely why the leadership fights tooth and nail against service. what is needed is good PR to argue that service is not contrary to the haredi worldview. israel in general has never embraced the need for PR and effective propaganda.

[Shimon]

The government of Israel is totally inept, unwilling, and unable to effectively govern the country. They have absolutely zero influence or control over the Haredi.

If there is any hatred toward women it more likely originates in the flatulent toilet filled world of the religious than in an open discussion.