"Distancing the possibility of enlistment": Senior Religious Zionist rabbis against the arrest of yeshiva students
In a sharp statement published by the rabbis of "Torat HaAretz HaTova," they attacked the use of arrests and criminal enforcement against Haredi draft evaders: "These actions deepen the rift and lack of trust."
Against the backdrop of the intensifying dispute over the issue of drafting yeshiva students and the measures taken against those required to enlist, a number of senior Religious Zionist rabbis are speaking out against the policy of arrests and the use of forceful enforcement measures against the Haredi public.
In a statement published under the title "Not by might and not by power," the rabbis argue that these steps do not bring the crisis closer to a solution and do not promote the integration of Haredim into the IDF, but rather the opposite — they deepen the rift and distance the possibility of enlistment.
The letter was signed by the rabbis of the "Torat HaAretz HaTova" union, led by Rabbi Yaakov Ariel. Among the other signatories: Rabbis Elazar Agra, Eitan Eisman, Shmuel Eliyahu, Yosef Artziel, Moshe Gantz, Mordechai Greenberg, David Chai HaCohen, Michael Hershkowitz, Uri Cohen, Elyakim Levanon, Yehoshua Magnes, Zalman Baruch Melamed, Mordechai Nagari, Yaakov Filber, Isser Klonsky, Chaim Steiner, Yaakov Shapira, and David Turgeman.
The statement is published against the backdrop of the public and legal debate surrounding measures intended to deal with the failure of Haredi yeshiva students to report for enlistment, including the arrest of those defined as required to enlist.
Although the rabbis do not explicitly mention a specific public body, their words are directed against the policy of arrests and the use of criminal tools on the matter.
"The rabbis of Torat HaAretz HaTova completely reject the use of arrests and aggressive conduct towards yeshiva students. These actions deepen the rift and lack of trust, and do not bring soldiers to the army but only distance the possibility of enlistment."
Alongside the criticism of enforcement, the rabbis also addressed the violence that occurred in some of the protests against Haredi enlistment, and called on all sides to act to calm the spirits.
"We ask all sides to refrain from actions that harm the public as a whole and do not contribute to bringing hearts closer. Any violence, including verbal violence, deepens the crisis and prevents providing an answer to the painful problem."
At the end of the letter, the rabbis called for solving the issue through dialogue and not through coercion: "Only a respectful and substantive discourse will lead to a practical solution."
