Thursday, June 20, 2013

My Hamodia Piece in Tomorrow's Paper: Inter-Communal Animosity, the Chareidi Draft, and the Bread of Humiliation

Baruch Hashem, Hamodia's Friday Daily edition includes a piece I wrote looking at a deeper aspect of the conflict relating to the Chareidi draft. That comes out tomorrow morning but their online edition has it tonight.

The title of the piece is Inter-Communal Animosity, the Chareidi Draft, and the Bread of Humiliation

Here's the beginning:
The anger on both sides of the chareidi draft issue is palpable. The following observation risks sounding naïve by making a fundamental observation regarding a complicated issue: the chareidi and secular camps should theoretically get along splendidly. We have the perfect Yissachar-Zevulun relationship. The chareidi community in Eretz Yisrael provides the infinite merit of Torah learning to the entire Jewish people and provides the State with physical protection and security (Bava Basra 7b). On the other hand, the Israeli government grants exemptions from IDF service for yeshivah students, funds yeshivos and Bais Yaakov schools, and provides the chareidi community with a variety of other health and welfare benefits.
The easy answer is that secular people do not have any appreciation for the value of Torah and therefore view chareidim as “moochers” or “parasites” who should “share the burden.” The problem is that this explanation of secular Jews’ motivations oversimplifies the issue and conveniently places the blame and the burden of finding a solution squarely on the “other guy,” our more secular brethren. It absolves us of the need for self-reflection as a community.
Click here to continue reading.

Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox.

No comments: