Hamas/Gaza War Musings #18: Demand to Force Draft of Chareidim is to Break Coalition

 

I love this set of three mugs which picture/symbolize the range of Jewish Israelis from non-religious old time kibbutznikim to chareidim. Am Yisrael Chai! The People of Israel Lives! Yachad Ninatze'ach! Together Victorious!

One of the most beautiful and encouraging things I've seen in this horrifying war for the State of Israel's very survival has been the involvement of all sectors of Israeli society, and that does include chareidim. 

In the more than half a century I've lived in Israel, there has been a steady, quiet change in the involvement of chareidim with the rest of Israeli society. Today Israelis of all levels of Torah observance enjoy the services of various gmachim like Yad Sarah and first aid services established by chareidim. As strictly Shabbat observant chareidim are, those who are in first aid and emergency services keep their phones on 24/7, so they were among the first to try to rescue the dead and wounded in southern Israel on that nightmarish Simchat Torah on October 7, 2023. This was even before the army had gotten themselves organized. And, yes, if you're wondering, ambulance crews were murdered, too. 

Within days of the start of the war, Hamas trying to destroy Israel, many chareidim made their way to the IDF offices to sign up and join the army. Joining the army is a process, since recruits and volunteers must be assessed to see their abilities to find the most suitable unit. Newspapers and television news showed them lined up waiting their turn for assessment. It certainly made me feel good. And to make it clear, I'm not at all chareidi. It's not my cup of tea.

As this war has dragged on, one of the most comforting thing has been seeing the volunteerism in Israeli society. Yes, that includes chareidim among others coming to the hotels where Israelis who had to leave their homes were staying, and bringing them supplies, toys, doing people's laundry and more. Yachad Ninatzeach UNITED WE WIN!

So why did Defense Minister Yoav Gallant suddenly make a speech demanding an end to the army exemption for yeshiva students*? With his army experience he must certainly know that angry resentful people make for terrible soldiers! And why now, in the middle of a war for the country's survival would he want to shake up Israeli society in such a way?

No doubt Gallant wants to break up the coalition, which simply put is Likud plus dati leumi (national religious) and chareidi parties.

Considering that a sizable portion of Likud MKs are either religious or traditional, I guess Gallant feels like a fish out of water. Has he made a deal with another political party....? Considering Benny Gantz's unauthorized trip to the USA... something stinks for sure.

*Despite the exemption, chareidim do serve in the army in various roles, and numbers have been growing. 

Israel's Coalition: I See Good Things

To be very honest, nothing's perfect, and that includes politicians. Even though the Bennett-Lapid broad coalition doesn't have the exact policies I want, I still consider today's situation superior to the Bibi-chareidi mafia. 

Bibi and his cohorts were sure that they had found a way to stay in power forever. The Likud as the largest political party in the Knesset, along with the chareidim managed to prevent a coalition from wresting the rule from them. They had the country in a stranglehold for a few years. Since Bibi had led the last coalition as Prime Minister, he continued as caretaking or interim PM along with his mafia. Sorry, it may be legal but it's not the sign of a healthy democracy. I also opposed the massive street demonstrations against Bibi prior to the new coalition. That's mob rule, not law.

Then miraculously, Bennett, Lapid, Gantz, Saar and a few disparate parties pulled the rug out from under Bibi and his cronies. They decided to concentrate on what they agreed and formed a coalition. The foulmouthed sore-losers and the political pundits quickly predicted that the new government wouldn't last out the month, but half a year later they seem to be developing strong, stable sea legs...

One of the great standouts as a minister in the coalition is Matan Kahane, Minister of Religion. Way back when in the earlier decades of the State of Israel the NRP National Religious Party held that position. The religious establishment was more mamlachti, Zionist, Bnai Akiva, not chareidi. In more recent years as NRP's younger generation became more ideological and/or open to working with other groups, the party not only lost votes, but it lost its luster, attracting fewer and fewer potential leaders. Every few years the NRP hired a few "front man." Even Naftali Bennett played the role until he got tired of being a "figurehead," 

Today politically ambitious men in crocheted kippot and women in scarves and sleeves can be seen in almost all political parties.  As the NRP got weaker, it lost its leadership in the government's religious bodies, and the chareidim quickly stepped in. The NRP is no longer in the Knesset, and the rabbinate, kashrut and conversion are dominated by the chareidim. 

Matan Kahane in Shiloh, parlor meeting,
March, 2019

Back to Matan Kahane who was new to politics when I heard him at a parlor meeting here in Shiloh, March 2019. I was impressed then, and he hasn't disappointed me yet.

For decades I've been worried about the fact that the "national religious" Jews as a group have been considering themselves "second class," inferior Jews to the chareidim. I don't see chareidi lifestyle and religious "standards" as superior, more genuinely Jewish. And since the chareidim now control the Rabbanit it's only getting worse. 

Conversion to Judaism has become one of the more difficult issues, and I'm glad that Matan Kahane is working on that, plus kashrut.

For those who want to list the "bad" things the present government has done, it's just as easy to find examples of similar and worse done by Bibi. Do you really want Bibi and his mafia back in unlimited power?

Coalition News? Haven't a Clue, But Don't Like What I Hear

Maybe by the time you read this there will be a coalition.

Benny Gantz and crew are busy trying to tack together a ruling coalition leaving out the MKs voted for by most Jewish voters in the State of Israel. Yes, please think of it like that. Blue & White doesn't want chareidim, the "ultra-Orthodox/religious Jews. He's not crazy about my crowd either.

The Blue & White leaders use the term "unity government," but they're not talking real unity. They don't want to serve with the fastest growing (reproducing) Jewish community in Israel and in the world  chareidim, the "ultra-Orthodox/religious Jews. For some strange reason they prefer Arabs to very religious Jews.

Basically, the Gantz crowd wants to go back to the days before 1977, before Menachem Begin's becoming Prime Minister. For those twenty-nine years of Leftist Labor rule, the idea that Labor would ever be in the Opposition seemed preposterous.

Remember that it was during those twenty-nine years, certainly the first decade, when Yemenite and other non-Ashkenaz new immigrant infants and children were kidnapped and given to Holocaust survivors and other infertile European Jews for adoption. It was during that time when religious new immigrant children were sent to strictly secular boarding schools for "better education."

Blue & White doesn't want unity with Jews.

On the other hand, Bibi Netanyahu has been Israel's Prime Minister for over a decade, and he failed just as I predicted before he was re-elected. Instead of being a strong leader, Bibi restricts himself to what he considers the "Center." Instead of aiming/leading forward, Bibi's focused on the Center, and it's like trying to cut a tough steak with a butter knife.

That's why Israel hasn't won a war. Our Prime Minister is a "centrist."

Likud may be out of power for a few years. Gd willing the country will survive, even though the anti-chareidi utterings of the wannabes sounds too much like the sinat chinam, baseless hatred that caused our exile over two thousand 2,000 years ago.

Gd willing, if there's a Leftist aka Liberal government, it won't last long enough to do too much damage.

Will The Chareidim Be The New NRP?

The NRP, Mafdal, National Religious Party used to have a slogan to make it clear that they'd justify being in all coalitions to support their "special interests."

In those days they'd stay out of "politics" or anything controversial. They were "middle of the road," and even Leftist. They'd claim that their presence in the coalition was to safeguard the mamlachti dati, religious public schools, their kibbutzim and the rabbinate. This "ideology" predated the 1967 Six Days War. Religiosity in Israel was rather weak and apologetic. The Baal Teshuva Phenomenon hadn't yet reached Israel, and the NRP was more Labor with a crocheted kippah than comfortable with Menachem Begin and his followers.

It took a decade after the mind-blowing miraculous 1967 Six Days War for Menachem Begin's Likud to gain power and the settling of Judea and Samaria to begin in earnest. The old NRP leaders had to join with Likud to keep their power, and the youngsters were influenced by Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook to settle the Land. Their youth movement, Bnai Akiva, moved more to the Right both politically and religiously. Also, after all these decades the mamlachti dati, religious public school system is firmly entrenched in government bureaucracy and is not under threat.

Israel's political chaos of today requires shaking things up to form a coalition. That's why there are rumors that Blue & White will try to make a deal with the chareidi parties. Today's chareidi parties are more insecure than the strongly ideological dati leumi, national religious crowd. The chareidim have more financial needs to support their schools, yeshivot, social services and amutot. They need to be in the coalition.

For Blue & White to form a ruling coalition, they need to break Bibi's bloc of parties, or at least MKs. As soon as Gantz's crew get a few deserters, he can declare a government. So my guess is that the chareidi political leaders will use their talmudic skills to rationalize jumping Bibi's ship and joining with Gantz. And Gantz will rationalize/defend his going against his "no chareidi" promise by reminding his supporters that the alternative would be another useless tied election.

What do you think?