Featured Post
Free The Hostages! Bring Them Home!
(this is a featured post and will stay at the top for the foreseeable future.. scroll down for new posts) -------------------------------...
Nov 23, 2010
Getting Out Of Army Service
If you wonder why some feel changing the rules for women who declare themselves as religious to get out of army service is needed or if it is just to make it more difficult for the haredi women, this news item might be a good indication of why some feel it is a very necessary change.
The army is spending a lot of resources hiring private investigators to keep an eye on these young women who declare themselves religious. They have 8 PI companies checking people out, following their tracks on Facebook and other sites, to see what kind of pictures they put up, where they hang out - what kind of bars, etc., and have even caught a young woman who declared herself religious for the exemption in a picture of her in a restaurant holding a menu that said on it "Not Kosher".
Is it really so bad that women who want the exemption have to get some extra paperwork taken care of, rather than have the army carry out these investigations? Anyway, do people really prefer that the army hire private investigators to investigate them? Do they care less about their privacy, or do they just think the army isnt going to bother and is just going to take them at their word?
The army is spending a lot of resources hiring private investigators to keep an eye on these young women who declare themselves religious. They have 8 PI companies checking people out, following their tracks on Facebook and other sites, to see what kind of pictures they put up, where they hang out - what kind of bars, etc., and have even caught a young woman who declared herself religious for the exemption in a picture of her in a restaurant holding a menu that said on it "Not Kosher".
Is it really so bad that women who want the exemption have to get some extra paperwork taken care of, rather than have the army carry out these investigations? Anyway, do people really prefer that the army hire private investigators to investigate them? Do they care less about their privacy, or do they just think the army isnt going to bother and is just going to take them at their word?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Related Posts
I think it is good that the girls should know that someone is checking the truth of their statement. However I would rather see it done in another way than snooping after them.
ReplyDeletePersonally I have a problem with all the non-super-frum girls who go to sherut leumi for very high idealistic reasons but get out of their army service on a false declaration that their religious convictions prevent them from enlisting. Even if they are going to sherut leumi instead of army out of a desire to serve and make a difference, there is a certain mitzva haBaah beAveirah here. I would like to see sherut leumi being opened up for all girls (or maybe with some kind of incentive or quota or entrance criteria in order to make sure enough girls still went to army) without the need to make false declarations in order to get in.
You're on the right track. However, Sheirut L'eumi shouldn't be "opened up" it should be a requirement regardless of the level of so-called religiosity. There is no reason, whatsoever, that the program can't be modified to allow girls to serve in their communities and live at home. (Many girls do this already.)
ReplyDeleteIn fact, such community service should mandatory for every citizen in this country; women, arabs, chareidi men, everyone. This would be a great alternative for those who are "exempt" from the army for all the existing reasons.
Yes, even yeshiva guys, even real "masmidim" can find the time. If nothing else these so-called "full time" learners get nearly THREE months off for bein hazmanim. Most full-time workers that I know don't get nearly that much time off of their occupations. Let's make them amortize a good chunk of that 3 months over the 5 years or more they are learning. Again, they won't have to do their service in far flung places where the "temptations" might be unmanageable, God forbid. They can live at home with mommy and tatty and contribute to their own communities. (Yes, even married Kollel guys can participate.)
This is a no brainer. There so much that needs to be done. (These people could be out there picking vegetables for heaven's sake.)
It's interesting that they've never done the same with those claiming a p'tur because "Torason Umanoson."
ReplyDelete