Having said that, charedi enlistment is growing and some of the Nachal Charedi units quickly proved themselves equal to challenging missions and actual combat.
For the general Israeli media and many citizens, that increasing enlistment is not nearly enough.
(This antagonism continues to exist despite enlistment numbers down in 2023 MORE THAN EVER BEFORE in the history of the young State. For the first time ever, less than half of eligible males enlisted in the IDF in 2023. That percentage includes far more than just the charedi community. Yet no one propagating anti-charedi propaganda really cares.)
Contrary to popular belief, charedi enlistment doesn't need to grow.
Military might will not solve the problems. (But that's a post for another time.)
Anyway, the arguments used to bludgeon charedim are emotional, manipulative, and rely on the ignorance.
False Argument #1: Every Israeli Soldier Engages in Lethal Combat
"The mothers of Israeli soldiers don't sleep at night! But charedi mothers sleep just fine! Why should those mothers lose sleep over concern for their sons while charedi mothers just go about their lives?!"
Or:
"Why should OUR sons risk their lives for this country while the sons of charedim don't do a thing for national security?!"
And so on.
It's the same emotional argument, however it's constructed.
So the first thing I want to tell you is...when my first son enlisted, I lost no sleep whatsoever.
Why?
Because, like over 80% of the IDF, he was NOT in a combat unit.
Sure, I felt concern over all the degenerate television and movies he watched on a giant plasma screen in a well-appointed air-conditioned recreation room.
I also disliked all the American chalav akum chocolate bars he digested during that time.
Nonetheless, I managed to sleep. In fact, I slept entire nights throughout his "military" service.
Here are the most updated statistics I found:
- Active-duty soldiers: 170,000
- Combat soldiers: 26,000-30,000
A quick calculation shows at the most, combat soldiers only make up around 17% of the IDF!
What about the other 83% of enlisted NON-combat soldiers?
Do you really think their mothers are losing sleep?
Of course not.
Why aren't the banshees screaming at them?
After all, their sons aren't risking their lives.
Why is no self-righteous bally-hooing directed at them?
You can see how hypocritical it all is.
One Israeli mother — whom I otherwise really like — watched as 3 of her sons enlisted, one after the other.
One became a cook while the other two became jeep mechanics.
That was it.
One broke his hand while fixing a jeep and his mother presented this is in a dramatic fashion, as if he broke his hand while risking his life for Medinat Yisrael, but really, all it shows is either he's a klutz or the IDF protocols for training jeep mechanics is irresponsibly lacking.
Of course, skilled jeep mechanics are vital to a functioning army.
But it doesn't demand tremendous mesirut nefesh or risk. And no one loses sleep over their son fixing jeeps.
(Also, you don't need SO many of them. It's a job they find for young man not qualified to do much else.)
Unfortunately, the Israeli media consistently manages to find some tepidly religious-looking banshee to shriek about all the Israeli mothers not sleeping at night due to their sons serving in such dangerous positions.
But now you know how fake and hypocritical that is.
A very small minority of Israeli mothers find themselves with sons serving in combat.
Note: With the influx of miluim (reserve) soldiers — the entirety of which totals 465,000 — we can assume the number of men in combat (which now includes married men and fathers) increased greatly.
Unfortunately, I could not find exact numbers for this present time period. However, the percentage of soldiers in combat remains a minority, even with the devoted influx of miluim soldiers.
False Argument #2: Let's be Like Sociopaths, Who Feel Gratified by the Torment & Suffering of the Others!
Fortunately, he and his older brother hid the truth from us as they packed his army duffel bag.
At that time, I had no idea of what was happening near Gaza.
In addition, he hid the truth of his exact activities and locations after the initial call-up, giving us the impression he remained in a totally safe area.
Only later did we discover the severe danger he was in, including a couple of terrifying near-misses.
I admit, I had a hard time for a few days concentrating at work after we discovered where he really had been and what he'd endured.
And in general, the ongoing fear of the situation prevented me from sleeping so well at night.
But AT NO TIME did I ever think to myself, "Gosh, why aren't other mothers suffering like me? And why aren't ALL Jewish boys and men risking injury, incurable PTSD, burning, amputation, and death? Why just MY son? Heck, I want ALL Jews to suffer!!!"
Why did such thoughts never enter my mind?
Because, for all my faults and defects, I'm not such a bad person.
Only a bad person would want others to suffer exactly like them.
Only a bad person would say, "My child — or HER child — suffers and risks his life, so I want ALL children to suffer just like him!"
It's such a callous, heartless attitude.
How are they not embarrassed to proclaim these thoughts publicly?
Just Say NO to On-the-Ground Forces in Gaza
I oppose these wanton murders of Jewish soldiers.
Ever since the entry of Jewish soldiers during this current war, I rage against it (when given the opportunity) and my heart plunges every time a new announcement comes out reporting the deaths of even more Jews — solely due to their on-foot entry into Gaza.
I resent it more than words can express.
The helplessness to stop this deadly madness feels awful.
You can't even talk to the soldiers themselves because they feel like if they don't follow these orders, than they're abandoning their fellow Jewish citizens to an even worse fate, and possibly the destruction of the Medinah.
Certainly, the government officials and military elites involved in making war with foot-soldiers deserve our contempt.
So no, no normal person wants other innocent people to suffer just because they or their family member suffers.
Getting Practical about It All
- Only a small minority (usually around 17%) of IDF soldiers serve in combat. So only a small percentage risk their lives, have parents who don't sleep at night, etc.
- Only a bad person wishes others to risk & suffer such horrible outcomes.
How can you use this information practically?
Well, first of all, there's your own peace of mind.
Your own mind needs to remain steady and solid against all the propaganda.
Secondly, sometimes you can insert the above facts into a conversation.
It depends on a lot of factors.
But for example, when someone starts emoting about the unfairness of one citizen serving in the military while another does not, you can quietly say something like:
"I really feel for all those families losing sleep over the well-being of their loved ones in combat. And I often daven for the combat soldiers themselves. I used to think most Israelis endured this terrible situation — and perhaps in the early days of the State, they did. But it surprised me to learn what a small percentage of combat soldiers exist in the IDF — like only around 17%. That means most soldiers aren't risking their lives at all, baruch Hashem. But we should definitely continue to daven for and help the ones who are — offer support to their families too."
For the second issue, you can say something like:
"I have a friend who's son served in combat, and she doesn't wish it on anyone!"
Or whatever your personal style.
www.globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.php?country_id=israel
Here's Rav Avigdor Miller on the topic:
https://torasavigdor.org/qa/rav-avigdor-miller-on-helping-out-in-medinas-yisroel/
Related post:
sharing-what-burden-exactly-the-unspoken-elephant-in-the-room.html