Weekly Commentary: Haredi Draft Exemption – “Realpolitik” Not “Preserving Torah World”
Dr. Aaron Lerner 25 April 2025

Some Israeli politicians defending efforts to pass legislation to legalize that Haredis do not have to serve in the IDF frequently claim that the move is to preserve “Torah study” and the “world of Torah”.

The true “Torah study” and “world of Torah” is represented by our heroes - those who both study Torah and serve as soldiers in the IDF.

So when politicians refer to “Torah study” and the “world of Torah” as if they are the exclusive domain of the Haredim they not only insult our heroes but also effectively deny our unique place in Jewish history.

Despite all our troubles, we have the privilege to be living in the longest period of Jewish sovereignty since Joshua crossed into the Promised Land.

And while we are living what our ancestors could only dream of, we have a Haredi society which, for the most part, opts to ignore this tremendous miracle and bides its time here as if the only difference between living in the Holy Land today and anywhere else in the world is that here they have the political power to make it possible to s urvive without able bodied men going to work.

As the People of the Book we also can get some solace from the perspective that even our most honored leaders were far from perfect. Almost all of them made some bad choices. The question was if, like David, they took responsibility or like Saul, they blamed others.

To be clear: I can understand a politician who explains “in this parliamentary democracy, given that the Israeli political street remains divided between parties which still yearn to eventually have a sovereign Palestinian state and those who reject the idea, we need the support of the Haredi MKs to form a ruling coalition to get important things done. And the only way we can get their support is by allowing the Haredis not to serve in the IDF.”

Not “Torah study”.

Not “World of Torah”.

Just ‘realpolitik.”
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