"We are world champions in dying together but have not even begun to learn how to live together," Former Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau once said. Those words are once again proven to be true.
During the war with Gaza in 2009, I tried to give voice to my Haredi friends who wanted to be heard as they proclaimed that they too are men, sons, fathers and humans. And that they want to be productive in the war effort.
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A young Haredi man wants to serve in the defense of his country, his family and his children, as much as the secular men do, the ultra-Orthodox say. They too want their mothers to say tearfully on television, that they are unable to sleep. They too want to defend their loved ones, with their life and be seen returning from battle dirty and tired and be able to say: "We did it. We showed them."
But according to their beliefs, the ultra-Orthodox see their study of the Torah, like prayers and observance, as an integral part of the war effort and having sway over the outcome of the war, no less than the military fight. It is a naïve but earnest belief shared by all ultra-Orthodox Jews and should not be disregarded. Practically though, most Haredi's do not know how to bear arms. They have never been trained to do so and would not be able to fight even if they wanted to.
And why is that? Is it not time that they too serve in the IDF? Why must secular and national-religious mothers fear now for their sons who are fighting the Hamas animals while Haredi mothers sleep soundly at night? Why does the Haredi belief, even if earnest and naïve, allow them to avoid the battlefield while the beliefs of others compound that their lives are at risk?
All those are serious questions that will be weighed later. In times of war, only the and contributions of individuals in the Israeli collective count.
And what are those contributions? Anything and everything in the interaction between our two Israeli civilizations. Because the ultra-Orthodox are not yet involved sufficiently in the war effort. They are not really "part" of what is transpiring far off in the south. But secular Israelis feel the Haredi's and their "favors" are not needed or wanted and there is little interest in hearing what they have to say or how they offer to contribute.
But now. In this war especially, I am pleased to see a trend of connections. Religious leaders demanded of their flock to "fulfill their duty," not only in prayer. Blood donations were organized in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods and donations of food and supplies for the soldiers and residents in the south were being collected.
Rabbi Israel Landa, the head of the prestigious Heichal Yitzhak Yeshiva for example, said in a letter to his students: "Each and everyone has a role in the greater battle, and ours is to study the Torah and bring light to the world."
If I may, his effort deserves the recognition of other sectors. Why would there not be a conversation, at least now, with the head of the Hebron yeshiva, whose students serve in the IDF, to increase spirituality to bolster their morale and willingness to fight?
In my hometown of Betar Ilit residents lined up to donate blood, in drives organized by Ezer Mizion, a religious health voluntary organization, and families have donated hundreds of thousands of shekels in food.
Such gestures are touching. The debate over the Haredi participation in the IDF remains open and is not addressed in the letter of the Yeshiva head or by donations of blood. The rift between our societies is still great and maybe heal over time but we are now faced with a new and most important need that may confirm Israeli solidarity, at this difficult time, and is a recognition that Haredis are doing their best to contribute, however they can and perhaps we would all use this rare opportunity, to live together, cope together and fight together and not only die together.