One of the strangest reactions that I’ve received over my posts about charedim not serving in the IDF is the claim that most national-religious Jews don’t mind. While I have no doubt that there are some national-religious Jews who don’t mind, certainly there are very many who are extremely upset about it. This is all the more true since October 7th, when hundreds of IDF soldiers have fallen and many others have been injured, including a large number from the national-religious community, but none from the charedi community. In the national religious community, life has been taken over by army service, and the challenges and anxiety that this creates for the families of soldiers, whereas charedi society essentially continues as normal.
Recently, Dr. Tehila Elitzur, a popular Torah teacher at Herzog College, released a public letter to the women of the charedi community, which is being signed by a constantly growing list of women from both the national religious and secular communities. Here it is, in English translation:
An Open Letter to our Haredi Sisters:
These words are written with a trembling hand and a heavy heart.
We, the mothers and wives of soldiers and female soldiers in mandatory service and in the reserves, are now turning to you, the mothers of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students:
Call on your sons to enlist in the IDF
We know that many of you have shared in our grief and bereavement over the fallen for many years and especially in the difficult days since Simchat Torah. In the last two months, we have seen the help and solidarity efforts of ultra-Orthodox women in a variety of ways to help families of evacuees and families of fallen soldiers. We know that many are praying for the welfare of the soldiers, the healing of the wounded and the return of the hostages.
We are also aware that you, like the whole of ultra-Orthodox society, attach great importance to Torah study and see in it a supreme value and even assistance in safeguarding the people of Israel. But none of these can replace enlisting in the IDF. This is the Jewish, moral and civil duty of anyone who wishes to live here. The absence of that standard constitutes a distinction between blood and blood. This reality is no longer bearable.
For those who think that their son is not suited for military service, we say: Many of our children are not suited to be soldiers. None of them are suited to die in war. None of us are suited to sending our child to risk his life. We all do this because it is impossible to live here without an army, and we are all responsible for one another: it cannot be that others will take risks and risk their children for me, when I and my children will not take risks for them. My blood is not redder than theirs.
We have given up hope in the leaders of the ultra-Orthodox society, the heads of yeshivos and kollels, politicians and askanim.
Throughout the generations, women in Israel have known how to act with courage and sacrifice, where Gedolim and leaders failed. We believe that here, too, the correction can start with the wives and mothers of Israel.
Our request to you is unbearably difficult, but there is nothing more justified and moral, because each of us carries this difficulty from the day their child is born. We call on you to take the lead on these necessary steps, to fulfill together with all of us the commandments of “You shall not stand by your neighbor’s blood” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Call on your sons to enlist in the IDF.
We pledge to support you. We would be happy to meet to talk, and think together about how we will act towards this step.
It is thanks to righteous women that Israel was redeemed. May it be that thanks to you and thanks to the sons who will be enlist, that He who makes peace in the highest places will make peace for us and for all of Israel.
The letter is followed by the signatures of hundreds upon hundreds of women. Each one has signed not only their name and home city, but also listed their spouses and/or children serving in the IDF.
I do not think that this letter alone will bring about change. But it is something that needs to be said. As they write, the current reality is no longer bearable. And every bit of effort helps to create the political and resultant financial pressure that may bring about change.
Please forward this letter - both to women who have husbands or sons in the IDF, for them to add their signatures, and to those in the charedi community who need to read it. And to those who claim that it “harms achdut,” I will quote Dr. Elitzur from an interview: “You can’t talk about hurting achdut where there is no achdut.”
This is not my style (more like a BANana vibe), but sometimes perspective helps. I write this with mad respect for the awesome writer of this letter who is clearly hurt, and is probably a truly righteous and caring woman. No hate intended, but here is a Haredi take of this political battle:
An Open Letter to our Hiloni Brethren:
We know that some of you have shared in our grief and bereavement over the Shechinah for many years and especially in the difficult days since the founding of the state of Israel. In the last seventy years, we have seen the help and solidarity efforts of many Hilonim in a variety of ways to help our mission of restoring the glory of God and abiding by His laws. We know that many have joined our cause, have done Teshuvah, and have made God a real presence in their lives.
We are also aware that you, like the whole of Hiloni society, attach great importance to secular values and misplaced spirituality (such as the importance of this land), and see in it a supreme value and even assistance in the continuity the people of Israel. But none of these can replace the study of Torah and adherence to its laws. This is the moral and civil duty of any Jew. The absence of that standard constitutes a distinction between caring about what God cares about and not caring. This reality is no longer bearable.
For those who think that they are not suited for a life of Torah, we say: Many of us are not suited to this life. None of us are suited to give up our every whim for a Higher Power. None of us are suited to sitting over these old , boring books in place of the lives every human inclination desires. We all do this because it is impossible to live without Torah, and we are all responsible for maintaining God’s presence: it cannot be that their lives are completely devoid of Torah, when I and my children bear the entire responsibility. My blood is not redder than theirs.
We don't even need you all to become Haredi. We just want you to pitch in and share the burden, or at least not complain about our shortcomings so much. They exist, no doubt, but they should be criticized only in context of appreciating our values.
We have given up hope in the leaders of the Hiloni society, the heads of governement, heads of universities, politicians and bloggers.
Call on *yourselves* to enlist in Yeshiva. To at least begin a Seder of Torah study. To keep the Mitzvot with more devotion. To start to care about the importance of the Mitzvot
We pledge to support you. We would be happy to meet to talk, and think together about how we will act towards this step.
It is thanks to Torah adherence that Israel was redeemed. May it be that thanks to you and thanks to the sons who will do Teshuvah, that He who makes will make peace in the highest places will make peace for us and for all of Israel.
Yo 😎
This is a complete joke. You really thought that some female rabbi who has a women's Talmud institute and advocates for "religious pluralism" is going to convince chareidi women to abandon the daas Torah that is their mother's milk???!
How. Delusional. Can. You. Be.
Completely untethered from reality.
In terms of the question itself, it was already explained there are two type of people who call themselves "National Religious". There are those who have similar beliefs in the Torah as chareidim, and there are those who are primarily secularists with a bit of Jewish flavor. It is the latter who promote hatred for the chareidim, while the former may disagree with chareidim, but appreciate them.
See here https://irrationalistmodoxism.substack.com/p/a-voice-from-the-front-2