The haredim are afraid

The aggression directed at ultra-Orthodox soldiers inisde their neighborhoods is not surprising. Theattack on a haredi(ultra-Orthodox) soldier in the neighborhood of Mea Shearim on Tuesday was one of many such infuriating incidents. The only surprising thing about it was that the level of hostility was actually less intense than initially expected. The military officials who oversaw the integration of haredi soldiers into the Israel Defense Forces actually expected the hostility to be much worse.

Regardless, these attacks are not to be taken lightly. The police must protect soldiers in their homes, and, if needed, use force to ensure their safety. It would also be a good idea to help frightened soldiers. If a soldier wishes to change out of his uniform before leaving his base to go home on leave, the army should allow him to do so. But at the same time the army should refrain from recommending that haredi soldiers change into civilian clothing. After all, there is significant psychological value, be it at no small risk, to arriving proudly at home in a uniform with one's rank on display. It represents pride in one's actions and choices.

The battle over the psyche of the haredi soldiers is an important one, but it is much more than a battle over their spirits alone. The aim is to expand this battle to the point of setting a new norm in the haredi neighborhoods. In this respect, the equal conscription bill recentlyapproved by the cabinet, though it is not equal and still discriminates between soldiers, helps by forcing every young haredi man to really consider which side of the issue he wants to be on in the coming years, and at what cost.

With absolutely no possible justification, this violence should be optimistically interpreted as a weakness of the Hassidic institution and the physical and spiritual ghetto it has created. They throw stones, deal blows, spit and curse because they are, in fact, afraid. They fear that more young men will follow the footsteps of their older brothers and don the IDF uniform, and then the brothers' nephews will follow them to the IDF induction centers, and so on.

Under these circumstances it would be extremely unwise to open up the option of legal draft evasion. That is precisely what was recently proposed by Labor MK Merav Michaeli, who seeks to grant haredim an exemption from service on religious grounds. Such a proposal fits in perfectly with the extreme Left's indifference toward the entire country's plight for equality in sharing the burden, raising the suspicion that the Left simply doesn't care if the IDF's ranks thin out.

But even if I agreed with Michaeli's arguments, her proposal must not become law anytime in the near future. Creating a legitimate channel for draft evasion contradicts the current economic, social and security necessity to encourage young haredim to serve in the IDF and consequently integrate into Israeli society, not just for the benefit of the state, but also for the benefit of the entire haredi community.

A soldier who braves the hostility and insists on wearing his uniform in the haredi street, acting as a revered role model for the neighborhood boys (and, secretly, for the stone-throwers too) fulfills the lofty role of the messenger who can change the face of society. The rabbinical-haredi majority in Mea Shearim condemns the haredi uniform-wearing soldier as a provocateur? If so, let us coin a new phrase: a welcome provocation.