I only read this excerpt but if I were that judge I would have replied, "Perhaps you are not aware, counsel, but the state of Israel has an institution called the Chief Rabbinate, which rules on marriage and divorce and many other matters related to the State. They most certainly do not forbid service and this is the official rabbinic ruling of the state. Please move on to your next argument." At this point, he is free to get into freedom of religion and conscientious objections and other legal theories, which may actually be relevant. But as a lawyer, I can tell you this argument is one of the most inelegant, amateur-sounding arguments I have ever heard, that is not even technically legal in nature.
A simple response would have been to quote all the charedi Rabbis who did not say it was forbidden to enlist under any circumstances - eg the Chazon Ish, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach etc and ask the lawyer why he doesn't consider them as leading halakhic authorities
I remember even back in the late 1980s some of them made that claim and said that the army didn't really need them and it was only interested in drafting them to pull them away from religion. Was it true then? I don't know but it certainly isn't today when there are more religious officers and the army is more sensitive to religious needs than it was back then. This, of course, is in addition to the well established manpower shortage that the army has today.
I was in the Israeli army in the 80s (just turning 40 years old then when I was drafted). I was just a grunt so I do not know what the upper echelons were thinking about religion (if I had to guess, I would say they didn't think much of the subject, pro or con). I was in a mixed religious/non-religious platoon. None of our commanders tried to persuade us away from religion. OK, we only had a 1/2 hour for shachrit including Mondays and Thursday and it required us getting up earlier than anyone else (or skip breakfast) but I certainly didn't consider that as religious coercion. It's called army life.
I do remember talking to a fellow soldier (not in our unit), a much, much younger person than me. He said he had been religious before the army but wasn't any longer (as I recall the discussion). He was in a basically non-religious environment and had been the only religious soldier in his platoon. I felt sorry for him; but it was simple peer pressure that turned him away from being religious. He was young and not morally strong.
these so called "rabbis" make their own version of religion to "steal" huge amounts of taxpayer money. it is a simple as that. need to call them out for what they are. a religious discussion with them is a complete waste of time as they interpret the Torah as they wish and change it as needed to get what they want. they want to destroy israel as much as our other enemies
I only read this excerpt but if I were that judge I would have replied, "Perhaps you are not aware, counsel, but the state of Israel has an institution called the Chief Rabbinate, which rules on marriage and divorce and many other matters related to the State. They most certainly do not forbid service and this is the official rabbinic ruling of the state. Please move on to your next argument." At this point, he is free to get into freedom of religion and conscientious objections and other legal theories, which may actually be relevant. But as a lawyer, I can tell you this argument is one of the most inelegant, amateur-sounding arguments I have ever heard, that is not even technically legal in nature.
A simple response would have been to quote all the charedi Rabbis who did not say it was forbidden to enlist under any circumstances - eg the Chazon Ish, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach etc and ask the lawyer why he doesn't consider them as leading halakhic authorities
They would say that times have changed and now it's a time of Shmad.
I remember even back in the late 1980s some of them made that claim and said that the army didn't really need them and it was only interested in drafting them to pull them away from religion. Was it true then? I don't know but it certainly isn't today when there are more religious officers and the army is more sensitive to religious needs than it was back then. This, of course, is in addition to the well established manpower shortage that the army has today.
I was in the Israeli army in the 80s (just turning 40 years old then when I was drafted). I was just a grunt so I do not know what the upper echelons were thinking about religion (if I had to guess, I would say they didn't think much of the subject, pro or con). I was in a mixed religious/non-religious platoon. None of our commanders tried to persuade us away from religion. OK, we only had a 1/2 hour for shachrit including Mondays and Thursday and it required us getting up earlier than anyone else (or skip breakfast) but I certainly didn't consider that as religious coercion. It's called army life.
I do remember talking to a fellow soldier (not in our unit), a much, much younger person than me. He said he had been religious before the army but wasn't any longer (as I recall the discussion). He was in a basically non-religious environment and had been the only religious soldier in his platoon. I felt sorry for him; but it was simple peer pressure that turned him away from being religious. He was young and not morally strong.
these so called "rabbis" make their own version of religion to "steal" huge amounts of taxpayer money. it is a simple as that. need to call them out for what they are. a religious discussion with them is a complete waste of time as they interpret the Torah as they wish and change it as needed to get what they want. they want to destroy israel as much as our other enemies
Do they want to be citizens of Israel? Why?
Very cogently argued