The time has finally come: Chareidie brothers, come and enlist

 

By Yigal Brand

Translated from Hebrew!

We are in the midst of a historic change. No less. Anyone who opens their eyes knows: Without ultra-Orthodox conscription, we will not be able to hold the next front lines. It's not a matter of ideology, but of existence. Not to enlist in order to promote equality of burden, not to win old arguments, but simply because the country is in danger – and the army needs you.

The public debate surrounding the conscription law is full of lies, slogans, and populism. There are those who prefer to turn the ultra-Orthodox into enemies, to shout 'exclusion of women,' 'a halachic state,' and 'sell the state to the ultra-Orthodox,' instead of rolling up their sleeves and building a real, smart, and feasible model for ultra-Orthodox recruitment. There are those who prefer to earn a few more likes on Twitter or another round on the radio – instead of sitting behind closed doors and building agreements. There are those who want to fight. We want you.

To all the detractors, you should know: this is no longer a concept. We're not in 2018. We are after the 7th of October. The State of Israel has woken up. There is no more room for a 'small and smart army,' there is no more room for excuses. In order to defeat the enemies from within and without, we need you.

To be honest, for many years the ultra-Orthodox did not believe that the state really wanted them in the army. And it didn't just happen. There were those who made sure to give them an image of a 'problem'. Now? You already understand that this is not just a question of citizenship, but of national responsibility. And when there is a real process within the ultra-Orthodox public, we have to support it, not sabotage it.

You can't break a seventy-year-old social taboo in one day. But what is possible is to build tailored tracks and set sanctions for those who evade. Enlistment Day for the Hasmonean Brigade. Photo: IDF Spokesperson

Of course, it's not easy. You can't forcibly recruit soldiers for combat. You can't break a seventy-year-old social taboo in one day. But what is possible is to build tailored tracks, to set sanctions for those who evade, to give incentives to those who enlist, and to lead a poignant, honest and complex discourse that understands the depth of the challenge and knows that at the end there is hope.

The ultra-Orthodox public will not become religious Zionism. And that's perfectly fine. We don't need it. They need to come and serve – because this is the minimum required of every citizen of the State of Israel. And we must say this without shame: Whoever serves should receive more. It's not discrimination – it's morality. This is not coercion – it is the way of the land.

We will not be deterred by the political turmoil. No interrogators in committees and no shouting in the studios. We know what is right for the country – and we will do it. If necessary, we will pay a political price. If necessary, we will fight with all our might. But we will not succumb to populism.

This is the moment. This is the time. The time has come for all of us to walk together – ultra-Orthodox, religious, secular – on a common path. Not a war for identity, but for existence.