The Draft Law passed by a vote of 65 in favor and 1 opposed, with MK Yoni Chetboun (Habayit Hayehudi) breaking ranks and opposing. The Civil Service Law passed with 67 in favor and 1 opposed. Chetboun has put himself at some risk - Habayit Hayehudi had threatened that any MK that breaks ranks will be punished for it - but Chetboun decided to stick to his beliefs anyway and vote against.
The basics of the new are that in these first three years, all haredi boys (above the age of 22) will be granted exemptions (those between 18 and 22 today will be able to defer service and by age 24 can qualify for an exemption), but by 2017 the haredi yeshivas must be sending a minimum quota of 5200 yeshiva students to the IDF (or national/civil service). If the 5200 number is reached, all will continue with the quota being adjusted in subsequent years. If the quota is not reached, then all haredi yeshiva students above the age of 21 will be drafted with the exception of exemptions being granted to a maximum of 1800 "iluyim" - especially talented and bright yeshiva bochurim. All the rest will either be drafted or be put in jail for being AWOL. The new law also extends the service of the hesder yeshivot by an additional month - hesder boys will now serve 17 months in the IDF. As well, the general IDF service will be shortened from 36 months to 32 months.
The way governments come and go in Israel, averaging about 2.5 to 3 years, there is probably a greater chance of this law being repealed or changed in a future government that will include haredi members than there is that it will remain as it passed today. As well, it is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court. It is not likely that the Supreme Court will knock it down, but anything is possible.
It is a good start, I think. I don't like the criminal sanctions, and there might be some other aspects that I don't like, but overall something needed to be done and this gets the ball rolling. Maybe everyone will see that this more or less is beneficial to everyone and while it might require some future adjusting and amending, it will mostly be accepted. Or maybe not and a future government will knock it down or change it completely.
The haredi community complains about the hesder yeshivot serving less time and they consider it unfair. I don't consider it unfair. There is nothing stopping the haredi community from establishing its own hesder yeshivot whose students will also serve 17 months instead of 32 months (though I think 17 months applies only to those hesder yeshivot already in existence and in the system today, while new ones will serve more - maybe 24 months). They can do this which will allow them to learn more than if they would be drafted straight out and it will let them serve less actual IDF time than getting drafted straight out. I imagine that such haredi hesder yeshivot will start being formed in order to take advantage of those benefits.
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Nothing will come of this for 2 reasons:
ReplyDelete1) The next government will likely have Chareidi parties in it. Their condition for joining will be a repeal of this law. They will be accomodated.
2) Even if that doesn't happen a law is just as good as the will to enforce it. Since Chareidi parties might then at some point become necessary for a coalition no prime minister will enforce it so he can wink at the Chareidi parties and say "See, I'm really your friend after all..."
The work restrictions on yeshiva students 22 and above have been lifted. The Charedi parties would never get away with asking that to be reversed.
DeleteTotally agree with your analysis, particularly the last paragraph. I hope that once the anger and passion have been sufficiently expressed, the relevant people will see their way clearly to approaching this in a positive way.
ReplyDeleteMaybe males over the age of 22 (or even 18) should not be described as "boys."
ReplyDeleteAs well, the general IDF service will be shortened from 36 months to 32 months.
ReplyDeleteThis is HUGE. It means that college-bound students will enter college a full semester earlier than usual!
Charedim have already told the government to go jump in the lake.
ReplyDeleteThis law can stay on the books for all I care, Charedim will ignore it and if God forbid they will enforce it, there is going to be a civil war. Of course, it will just get ignored or repealed.
The Charedim may call the state's bluff very soon if the Moatzot decide to ignore tzav rishon as threatened and move up the fight for now. We're ready, bring it on!!
I don't think so. The law defines "charedi" quite nebulously. That means that the quota will definitely be reached as they can include pretty much anyone reasonably dati in it.
DeleteThe primary purposes of the bill are:
1. Lapid can tell his constituency, "see, we did what we said we would do."
2. Charedim can leave yeshiva and go to work legally.
For sure. Bennet kept saying - 'now the Haredim can go work', I think that Bennet's objective is to dilute the Haredim. I think that his objective is to change their culture. I think that his objective is for the Haredim to mix with the non-religious and assimilate. I think that his objective is to harm the Haredi family unit and harm shlom bayit.
DeleteWatch this important analysis on American middle class since the 50s which is right on. Having two working parents put American families into a downward spiral that they cannot get out of.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akVL7QY0S8A
That lecture has fascinating data. But it doesn't say 2 working parents creates a downward spiral - rather there are financial trends that many families are trying to keep up by putting the second parent into the workforce as well (see around 9 minutes onward).
DeleteIt would seem that having two parents out of the home full-time is always a risk to shalom bayit. Not to negate the positive influence of Torah study on a home, however.
The message I took from the talk was that she, as a super feminist (also divorced now), was actually acknowledging, that sending the woman into the workforce had a such an effect on American society. I know that the trend was already for more Haredim to go into the army and workforce and I am totally sure that the rabbis were/are trying to make this transition as subtle as possible. Forcing such a radical change to Haredi culture will be like any collision; A violent reaction will take place until the new equilibrium is achieved.
DeleteThere's a national service option. That should be taken advantage of. Also using the hesder framework for a chareidi yeshiva.
ReplyDeleteIt was reported that no new hesder yeshivas will be approved in the near future.
DeleteI was gonna make a snarky comment, but for the sake of Achdus now we need to daven. There are rockets raining down on Israel right now. We need all our troops - those in combat on the ground, and those learning and davening - to pull together and work together. We all know Hashem is in charge. We also know we need to do our physical HIshtadlus. Lets put everything aside now and daven for our lives and especially the lives of loved ones in danger right now
ReplyDeleteLaw passes and our enemies know it's open season. Missiles rain down.
ReplyDeleteTorah protection lifted.
1. that would mean prior to this law passing, there were never rockets, which we know not to be true.
Delete2. nothing has changed with the torah learning as of today, so torah defense system is still in place. what might happen in the future, nobody knows. but today we still have just as much torah learning as yesterday.
3. 60 rockets and not a single injury? either the torah is still protecting us, or it might not have been the torah all along protecting us from this specific threat but a different merit. or point 2 above.
Rafi, If G-d wanted to send a message that he was upset about the draft, other than a comet carving out the message on the moon, what would you see as a sign that Israel did something wrong? Can there be such a sign ?
DeleteI don't know. I don't profess to be a diviner where I see messages and claim to know what they mean. At most I will do so for myself, but not for others. The explanation of 'messages' is such a subjective thing. One person will see a good message at the same time another will see bad.
DeleteFor example you see the draft law leading to 60 rockets, while I see no deaths.
It was shooting in the air for now. I'm truly afraid of the damage that is going to happen. I hope that they are wise enough not to go to war now because they will lose.
DeleteDude maybe Hashem was sending a message about Bet Shemesh instead.
DeleteAmount of rockets today = the same amount as number of MKs that voted for the draft law of Torah learners.
DeleteAmount of rockets today = the same amount as number of fake votes for Abutbul in last election
DeleteProtest = dustorm
ReplyDeleteLaws passed = rain.
The torah is clear as to what that means
Actually, I would describe it as nice weather for the protest. Rain when Abutbol won and thunder and lightening when the arabs desguised as jews in the knesset voted
Delete