“This is the beauty of our nation. I saw dedicated doctors, dear parents, and dedicated sons, soldiers and fighters who only wish to defend their homes from the murderous terror which does not stop for a moment."
Above: Rabbi David Lau
Haredi Chief Rabbi Of Israel Visits Wounded IDF Soldiers, Offers Prayers – Not Haredi Enlistment
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Israel’s haredi Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau visited hospitalized IDF soldiers today in Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, Arutz Sheva reported.
Lau met with the soldiers and reportedly praised their self-sacrifice. He also met with the wounded soldiers’ families and discussed how to wear tefillin (phylacteries) during active duty in Gaza or when injured.
“This is the beauty of our nation. I saw dedicated doctors, dear parents, and dedicated sons, soldiers and fighters who only wish to defend their homes from the murderous terror which does not stop for a moment,” Lau said without any irony, despite the fact that almost no haredim serve in Israel's military, despite pleas from Israel's leaders and the IDF to do so.
Instead of answering those calls to defend Israel, haredi rabbinic leaders have instead banned haredim from enlisting and have ordered them to ignore draft notices or to answer those notices but then refuse to serve. Those anti-IDF positions have been fully backed by haredi political leaders, as well.
On top of this, haredi rabbinic leaders have banned almost all secular education. Haredi schools often teach no secular subjects at all and students graduate from them not knowing even basic algebra and cannot contribute to the modern workforce.
Haredim are rarely found working in Israel’s defense industry as a result and everything that is now protecting Israel – the IDF, the Iron Dome missile defense system, and other defense and weapons systems – was designed, built and are being operated by non-haredim.
So far, the only response haredi leaders have had to this glaring gap in service to the country’s defense from haredim is to assert that their prayers and Torah study protect Israel and the IDF.
But critics – of which there are many – point out that when Hamas rocket fire at southern Israel increased almost two weeks ago, haredi yeshivas in the south immediately fled north while Zionist Orthodox yeshivas in the south stayed put and continued to function as their own Zionist Orthodox alumni serve in the IDF, many in active combat roles in Gaza.