As the Haredi draft issue simmers, Dov Halbertal has some fascinating things to say
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| Rabbi Dov Halbertal |
Monday was a terrible day. The terror attack in Jerusalem that killed six and wounded many more, some very seriously, felt like a return to the “old days” of terror attacks on busses and at busy intersections. Not a good return, obviously. Horrible.
Interestingly, and to their great credit, as the crowd was (understandably) fleeing the shooting, a Haredi soldier and another Haredi young man (armed, I’m not sure how) ran towards the terrorists and eliminated them. It was an act of great bravery, expected of soldiers … but still. And a reminder that there’s every reason for Haredim to be in the army. Period.
Later that day, we learned that that same morning four soldiers had been killed in Gaza when their tank went over a mine that had been placed in their way for precisely that purpose. Another reminder of the horrific cost that the continued military assault on Gaza City (which may or may not be the right move—a different issue) will undoubtedly exact.
Which will again raise the question of who’s bearing what burden?
In Israeli jargon, to “carry the stretcher” is to help share the burden of protecting this country. Why? Because one of the milestones of basic training is a long hike (how long and where depends on the unit) in which soldiers carry a stretcher the entire way. “No one gets left behind” — AND everyone has to take a turn carrying the stretcher.
That was hardly the only clip about and by Haredim that has been making its way around, and today we introduce an important public figure in Israeli circles, Rabbi Dov Halbertal.
Dov Halbertal identifies as Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) and has held significant positions within the Haredi religious establishment in Israel, including serving as head of the Office of the Chief Rabbi of Israel.
Some of his positions are controversial in larger Israeli society,. Early in Israel’s history, there was bitter disagreement (even more boisterous than the controversy surrounding Haredi service in the IDF) about whether or not women should have any role in the army at all. Though that issue has long since been settled, Halbertal, interestingly, remains a hold-out and continues to argue that women should have very limited roles in the IDF and should not serve in combat units.
But some of his other positions are controversial in, and critical of, Haredi society. The following clips speak for themselves.
The first clip, which was clearly created for social media (though I don’t know where it was first posted), is about as clear an indictment of Netanyahu as anyone has made. That it comes from the Haredi sector makes it particularly interesting.
Those around the world who continue to support Netanyahu (which is fine—that’s politics) should ask themselves, as an indication of how familiar they are with what’s really roiling this society — how many of the names that Halbertal names can they identify, and whether they understand why is he pointing to them …
Elsewhere, Halbertal opined about the ongoing Haredi demands of the government, and its threats that it will topple the coalition (a threat it has made for years and years with other coalitions, too) if the Haredim do not get what they want.
Halbertal — a Haredi leader — advocates a complete separation of “church” and state, and argues against continued government subsidy of the Haredi community.
There are voices out there, even in the Haredi world, who want something different. What we do not know yet is how much pressure will come bottom-up to force current leadership to care more about people like Dov Halbertal think and say.
Will the heroism of a Haredi soldier this week change the discourse in that community? That’s an issue worth following.
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