To the first declaration, from last week, the responses were pretty well along political lines. Yitzchak Rabin and his flunkies called the Rabbis "Ayatollahs", while those who truly support Israel remained in the background, quietly supporting the decree. But yesterday's decree was met with vocal opposition even from parties on the right. Binyamin Netanyahu, Rafael Eitan, and Rehavam Ze'evi all came out against the ruling, claiming that it would destroy the credibility of the army by either forcing soldiers to choose between Israel and religion, or by forcing them to disobey direct orders. Rav Ovadia Yosef came out against it stating that it is against halacha to force soldiers to make this decision. Rabin, Shulamit Aloni, Yossi Sarid, and Shimon Peres are now calling for the disbandment of the Hesder program.
The only responses that really made any sense, though, were from Ariel Sharon, and from the spokesman for the Hesder movement. Sharon said that the government should not force the issue because that would force soldiers to make the decision between democracy and halacha. The Hesder spokesman said that no Hesder member would follow the orders to disband settlements or abandon land.
I find it interesting to see just who is placing blame where, and just what this division means for Israel's future. To begin with, the Hesder program is the only reason that Israel exists today. Without Hesder soldiers fighting on the front lines in each of Israel's wars, those wars would have gone very differently. It was the courage and bravery of these soldiers that kept Israel on the map, and in the battles. Sharon knows this. He was both Chief of Staff, and Defense Minister during such wars, and he fought alongside these students at every turn. Peres, Rabin, Sarid, and Aloni also know, or should know, what these Hesder units mean to Israel's security. In essence, they mean the same thing that Judea, Samaria, and Golan mean: the insurance of Israel's existence. Since these people are so willing to give up the land, it is only logical that they should also be clamouring for the disbandment of the Hesder program. Hesder represents the strongest threat to the current government.
What bothers me so much, here, is the apparent willingness of Netanyahu, Zeevi, and Eitan to go along with the left on this. The Union of Rabbis and the Hesder program see, as I do, quite plainly, that the Rabin junta has already forced many thousands of Jews to decide between democracy and Israel. For Hesder, that choice is only more dramatic, as it is between democracy and halacha. The choice, made by the Union of Rabbis, by Hesder, and by myself, is Israel. If Rabin's brand of democracy is going to destroy the last chance of Jewish survival, then Rabin's brand of democracy be damned. Israel is the choice we must all make.
The Union of Rabbis, and the Hesder program, see very well, that Rabin has taken the concept of democracy, and turned it on its head to suit only his own purposes. He has taken the vote to put him into power, and has used that power for ends that were never meant to befall the Jewish people. The idea that it is now more dangerous for a Jew to live in Jerusalem than it is anywhere else in the world, is an idea so foreign to the Jewish nation, that after three years, we have still not figured out how to respond to it. Only now, the Union of Rabbis, and Hesder, have figured out how to respond to it. Just say No!
My biggest fear, now trepidation, is that Netanyahu, Eitan, and Ze'evi, the three men in whom Israel must put all its hopes for a healthy future, do not recognize what the Union of Rabbis and Hesder have seen. They still perceive the rabbinic decree as the source of the potential rift that could destroy the Israeli army. They are quite prepared to aim their warnings, and later to put the blame, on this decree and its adherents, rather than where the blame actually belongs.
Rabbis have a tendency, by and large, to refrain from politics, especially where such interference will engage all who care in a controversy that could damage the rabbinate. This makes it all the more urgent when such a decree is actually made. The Union of Rabbis did not just sit up one morning and decide to ignite the ire of Rabin for the fun of it. They had ample reason for issuing their decree.
That reason was provided by the current government of Israel. The government's direction has put Israel, and all Jews in danger. The government has seen fit to force Israelis, not just the soldiers, but all citizens of the country, and all Jews everywhere, to make the choice between adherence to the government and adherence to their consciences.
It is now impossible to reconcile the Israeli government of today with Jewish interests or Israeli interests. The Union of Rabbis recognizes this. Hesder recognizes this. I recognize this. I can only but hope that the rest of the Israeli people recognize this before it is too late. The alternative is Civil War.
Copyright 1995. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission only.
