I know of whom I’m proud. I know with whom I stand and belong. It’s those for whom words didn’t suffice on and after October 7, 2023 – those who stood up and took action, who took part. I’m proud of those who have taken responsibility and not wantonly passed their obligations on to others.
Yet some have done just that – hiding behind what is in truth a “new Judaism” – a privileged and imagined ideology that allows them to choose to stand aside in the name of their interpretation of Torah and not share in the burden to defend our country.
They wish to enjoy privileges without responsibilities; to shun the fundamental values that keep us in this land.
Balancing Torah and social responsibility
Torah demands a balance from us: Torah with social responsibility. This is how King David acted, as did the judges and our prophets from the Bible.
Yet, when it comes to the army enlistment crisis, what we’re seeing and hearing today from ultra-Orthodox leaders is not the Torah of Israel but a detached interpretation that distances the Torah from practical life. It is not a living Torah that builds sustainable societies but an interpretation that dismantles them.
Religious Zionism, to which I belong, proudly promotes that aforementioned balance. It lives that balance – believing that the people of Israel need both learning and action, the spiritual and the physical, and not just believing this, but acting accordingly. When we’re needed, we’re always there, whether it be in the Torah study hall or on the battlefield, in hospitals, and serving the community.
The gap tearing society apart
During the Israel-Hamas War, the gap has grown between those who choose to take part and those who choose to stand idly by. It’s now a chasm that is tearing our shared society apart. In my own community, I have seen how the high price – indeed, the ultimate price – paid by so many from the religious Zionist world amid this war has led, and rightfully so, to a renewed conversation about inequality in the sharing of the burden.
Simply put, this country can’t survive with the burden of defending itself spread among only some of us. This country can’t prosper when some remove themselves from the whole, shunning responsibilities while still demanding rights.
For years, I’ve worked personally to close this gap through dialogue. I’ve also supported developing successful frameworks that bring ultra-Orthodox Israelis into the IDF while maintaining their identity. I’ve done all of this out of the belief that a compromise could be reached that leads to the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox Israelis.
However, it’s become clear recently that the ultra-Orthodox leadership has no intention of compromising. They are still acting like it’s October 6. It’s up to us to use all the tools at our disposal – carrots and sticks – to bring about ultra-Orthodox enlistment. Israel’s security depends on it.
By taking this position, I’m proud to stand with all those who take responsibility, who understand that living in this land can’t be taken for granted, that the Land of Israel is acquired through hardships.
So when they tell us that Torah study is their job, we’ll talk about our Torah. It’s a Torah of life, action, responsibility, and true partnership. We’ll talk about the true silver platter upon which the Jewish state was given.
The writer is a Yesh Atid MK and a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.