Purim Shpiel: Haredim call on secular Israelis to join the HDF – 'Army of Hashem'

• Published date: 24 March 2024
• Author: SETHINA K. FRANTZWOMAN
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Demonstrators carried signs calling for "sharing the burden" and enlistment of yeshivas and other religious study institutions. Up until now, government policy has allowed secular Jews to avoid Torah study by enlisting in the IDF

"Enough is enough," said Brothers in Books leader Shlomo Davidson. "Why do we have to sit and study all day while secular Israelis get to go on trips to Thailand after serving in the military? I would love to sit all day in a guard post on the Gaza border, but instead, I have to do actual hard work."

Davidson complained that there were two tiers of citizens in Israel, those who study religious texts, and those who don't. Placing the burden on one sector was discrimination and a violation of their rights, Davidson claimed, and his organizations would soon file a petition to the High Court of Justice demanding that the government begin drafting in Tel Aviv immediately.

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