The Chareidi Riots Go Against Torah Law

The recent rioting and violence by a faction of chareidim against the IDF and State of Israel has crossed all of the "red lines." These same people are very dependent on all sorts of social welfare aid. Why should we law-abiding taxpayers who and/or whose family members serve in the IDF subsidize their family and health expenses?

On one hand they claim that the State of Israel has no Jewish, or holy, status, but on the other hand they would never riot and demonstrate like this if they were living in a non-Jewish country. They would obey the laws with respect.

Sorry, Charlie, or Chaim, but you can't have it both ways.

If the State of Israel really is a "goyishe" country, then treat the government and laws they way you'd treat them if you were in Canada, France or Australia. Obey the laws. Respect the government, and serve the country if that's required.

And if the State of Israel is not really a non-Jewish State, then it's a Jewish one, and it's a stage closer to our Redemption, the Moshiach. I'm not saying it's perfect. We, the Jewish People, aren't yet ready, perfect enough to be redeemed. But many of us are trying hard to get there.

This latest wave tsunami of violence was caused by the simple fact that a couple of youth/men from that "Jerusalem" group of chareidim refused to go to the draft board and report that they are full-time yeshiva students. That would have given them an easy exemption, no drama. Since they didn't do it, they were picked up as draft dodgers. And then the rioting began.

It has been going on for almost a week, paralyzing almost half of Jerusalem, changing bus routes, causing indescribably inconvenience to innocent citizens, tourists etc.  People have missed flights, been forced to walk miles to their own wedding, missed or been terribly late to appointments etc, etc.

These rioters are obviously not truly religious people. They are not Torah observant Jews. They show neither courtesy nor love for their fellow man. They are harming the poor, the old and the sick more than anyone else. Their behavior is a complete Chillul Hashem, desecration of Gd's Name.

Sins against one's fellow man are very difficult to repent. Gd cannot forgive them. They need to ask those they've hurt and inconvenienced personally, and then includes the police who were only trying to restore order. And they certainly must ask forgiveness from all the IDF soldiers whom they malign by refusing to value and respect their contributions and sacrifice for the sake of us all.

Soldiers and Terror Victims Memorial Day in Shiloh