Charedi War Envy

A fascinating phenomenon

The poster comparing the yeshiva student temporarily imprisoned for draft-dodging to hostages held by Hamas in Gaza was not just appalling; it was also mystifying. Why did the yeshiva put it out?

I saw one person wonder if it was to deliberately infuriate the rest of the nation. Another suggested that they simply thought that it was “clever.” I would like to suggest a different explanation.

Fighting a war to protect your nation against brutal murderers is one of the most meaningful things a person can do. Chazal say that one who saves a single life is as though he has saved an entire world - all the more so one who devotes himself to helping protect an entire nation! It’s only natural to respect such bravery and heroism. Indeed, the figures of Tanach themselves greatly respected such things, and while this is yet another reason why charedim don’t learn Tanach, it’s hard to overcome a basic natural human value.

And while war can also be an absolutely appalling experience with a terrible price to be paid by oneself and one’s family, that aspect of it is not grasped by everyone. What people do see is tough guys with guns, travelling in cool tanks and planes and helicopters. There are action figures of IDF soldiers for children to play with, which are much more exciting than the rabbi toys that are made for charedi children to play with.

Thus, from the beginning of the war, I’ve seen numerous examples of what I think is best described as “charedi war envy.” There’s an entire series of books - I kid you not - called “Yeshivish in Gaza.” From the back cover:

Yahya Harifi, Shlomi Shlegonovich, Nissim Ben Baba and Zalman Kafdanitz. Four yeshiva students from different worlds and with different lifestyles, embark together on an innocent journey in a hot air balloon, during Bein Hazmanim. However, the enjoyable journey soon turns into a real catastrophe, when the balloon crosses the border and lands in the heart of the bustling market of Gaza, a hornet’s nest! Will the yeshiva students be able to cope with the hostile crowd? With the Hamas terrorists? With the screaming sheikhs in the mosques? All this and more, in “Yeshivish in Gaza”!

The book describes how through a combination of Talmudic ingenuity and the Divine assistance such Bnei Torah deserve, the yeshiva boys manage to escape! Maybe they should make this into a reality TV show.