Rabbis voice support for universal service
Several prominent Religious Zionism rabbis say demand for equal distribution of social burden is just; but must not be resolved by force
Distinguished Religious Zionism rabbis issued an urgent call to their public Friday to support the bid for universal service, in the interest of promoting the equal distribution of social burden in Israel.
Several prominent rabbis, including Rabbi Eli Sadan and Rabbi Shay Piron, are also expected to attend a protest rally scheduled to take place on Saturday night in Tel Aviv.
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Rabbi Sadan, who heads the Bnei David military prep school, is considered one of the Religious Zionism community's most influential educators.
He told Ynet that he has yet to decide whether to speak at the rally, as organizers hope he would; but added that he believes that the demand that the religious and ultra-Orthodox public serve their country is just.
Compromise within reach (Photo: AP)
Sadan qualified his statement, saying that he could understand those within the haredi community who assert that Torah studies must be held above all else, adding that he is certain the ideological gap can be bridged.
'True call of pain'
"Instead of yelling all the time, we should just sit down, day in and day out, until we reach an agreement," he said.
"Some in the haredi world say their devotion to Israel is demonstrated through the promotion of the Torah, but on the other hand, this country has been struggling for 64 years and the burden is not shouldered equally,
"I believe that when both sides have a just claim, a reasonable compromised can be reached," he said. "The problems begin when politics is introduced into the mix and when things are forced on people."
He further expressed hope that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kadima Chairman Shaul Mofaz resolve their differences and preserve the Coalition, which he defined as a "national asset."
(Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Rabbi David Stav, co-founder of the National-Religious Tzohar rabbinical organization echoed the sentiment.
"This is a true call of pain, from the heart, and the world of the Torah must address it accordingly. We have to remember that the saying of 'Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here?' (Numbers 32:6) was not invented by the Left," he stressed.
Rabbi Piron said that he supported the haredi position saying that religious studies must surpass all, and called to allow yeshiva boys the "prodigy expansion" from IDF service.
Piron said he would be attending the protest "Not to speak against the haredim, but against anyone dodging the draft for so-called 'social reasons' and not because of a higher value. There is no reason to bear a message of hate. This isn't an anti-haredi protest."
Saturday will see the "suckers' campaign" mount a protest rally in Tel Aviv, following the dissolution of the Plesner Committee, which was tasked with devising universal service alternatives.
