Smotrich's Hesder Yeshivas We Need to Get Rid of Netanyahu and Heal The
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Haaretz | Wednesday, March 10, 2021 5 HAARETZ Eran Yashiv Editor: Aluf Benn We need to get English Edition Editor: Avi Scharf Managing Editor: Simon Spungin rid of Netanyahu Deputy Publisher: Guy Rolnik Managing Director, Haaretz Group Rami Guez and heal the state Managing Director, English Edition Aviva Bronstein srael is caught in the The Netanyahu phenom- Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. grip of two difficult enon will be solved if his 21 Schocken St.,Tel Aviv 61350 Israel. problems, but there is a corruption trial proceeds TZ Tel: 03-5121212 Fax: 03-6810012 ERE I M way to solve both of them, normally and he can no lon- Customer Service Tel: 03-5121750 Fax: 03-5121703 which I shall propose here. ger conduct his manipula- E-mail: [email protected]. Advertising: 03-5121774, 03-5121112 Letters to the editor: [email protected] or fax: 03-5121156 I will also say what is un- tions from the seat of pow- likely to be resolved (spoil- er. That is what happened in er alert: Israel’s main prob- the criminal cases of Ehud lems). Olmert, Abraham Hirch- One problem is the de- son, Arye Dery and other cline of the political sys- former senior politicians. tem, and at its heart is the For this purpose, the new phenomenon called Benja- coalition must ensure ap- min Netanyahu. The prob- propriate appointments to Smotrich’s lem manifests in an unsta- the position of justice min- ble parliamentary regime, ister and to head important with frequent changes of Knesset committees. hesder yeshivas Eran Wolkowski | [email protected] government (four in the Less clear is how to re- past decade) and short- inforce the democratic sys- lived parliaments (six in tem and governmental sta- The hesder yeshivas, whose students combine religious the past decade). At the bility. To a large extent, this study with military service, have always served as a hot- Zvi Bar’el same time, strong forces depends on who will set the house for political education in the spirit of Haredi Zion- are working to undermine tone in the new government. ism, especially the hesder yeshivas in the territories. Oc- the infrastructure of Is- Exit from the COVID-19 casionally the debate returns over the inequitable hesder raeli democracy. crisis can and should be track (inequitable because its participants serve a shorter At the heart of the prob- done by formulating a plan stint in the army), mainly when a rabbi from a hesder The live armadillos in the lem is the Netanyahu phe- that is constructive and in- yeshiva makes a controversial statement. nomenon. Israel is in a spiring, something practi- Therefore, the fact that several hesder yeshivas hosted situation where one person cal that the public can con- Knesset candidates from the Religious Zionism party this middle of the road – intelligent and talented nect with. If the parties week is no surprise. Nor is the fact that the head of the but highly problematic – is bring this positive message Association of Hesder Yeshivas, Rabbi Haim Drukman – manipulating the entire to their election campaigns the dean of the Or Etzion hesder yeshiva – accompanied he upcoming elec- Bennett isn’t sweeping “Zi- “We are presenting moder- policy and restore a worthy political system. He is a and then base their coali- these visits and called on the students to aid in the election tion is easier than onist Judaism” off its feet. ate, balanced, pretty cautious hierarchy of values. Espe- populist leader, with no tion agreement on it, they campaign of Bezalel Smotrich’s party. T usual. It’s clear to A small part of that group, positions. Perhaps we won’t cially when the Israeli center constructive vision, bent on will win widespread public “We’ve become a tool of Smotrich’s political proga- each person whom not to which takes shelter under start any great adventures, is made up of scraps of par- destroying Israel’s social support. ganda,” said a student at one yeshiva, who wondered, vote for. Secular people the prayer shawl of the but it seems to me that the ties and politicians, like spare capital and focused exclu- A first step, both symbol- justifiably, “Would they let Merav Michaeli come speak won’t vote for the ultra- “young settlements” that state right now doesn’t need parts that don’t fit together. sively on his own personal ic and concrete, is to form a here?,” referring to the chairwoman of the Labor Party. Orthodox parties, and vice go wild on the hilltops, has more disturbances. Sending But we now find ourselves gain. This is a particularly 15-member cabinet – slight- But we aren’t just talking about listening passively to versa. Now the Arabs also other leaders. In short, the Benjamin Netanyahu home in a bad place, in which get- strange development in a ly over half the current campaign speeches. It turns out that in some of the yeshi- have someone to not vote ineligible have become the will supply enough drama.” ting rid of Netanyahu is a country where everyone vas students were recruited for actual political activity for: Mansour Abbas won’t majority. Lapid, in his greatness, is value in and of itself, and not has firm opinions about, on behalf of Religious Zionism, making phone calls to vote for the Joint List, The fastidiousness of the even prepared to yield on his only that – it’s a supreme val- and an “understanding” of, potential voters and planning to volunteer for the party and Joint List supporters Israeli voter throws him personal ambitions. ue. That’s because a society every issue. The explana- Israel is in a on Election Day (as reported Tuesday by Josh Breiner). won’t vote for him. that seeks to ever come back tion is that there is a recep- The fact that hesder yeshivas receive state funding Now that we’ve gotten past to itself cannot once again tive public, including the situation where one and a large percentage of their students are considered that hurdle, the polls are say- choose a prime minister who political class. Netanyahu person – intelligent service members – and are therefore subject to the mili- ing that most leftists won’t The fastidiousness of the Israeli voter is the epitome of corruption is perceived as a father fig- and talented but tary regulations prohibiting soldiers from engaging in vote for Meretz, and some are throws him onto a futile path leading and arrogance, a guided mis- ure, as a responsible adult. political activity – didn’t stop these yeshivas from host- also reluctant to vote Labor sile targeting democracy Therefore, in opinion polls highly problematic ing Religious Zionism’s political campaign and its rabbis. because of Ibtisam Mara’ana. to ‘the center,’ which promises him and the public good. Even if he is always judged the – is manipulating A few weeks ago, following a visit by Smotrich to the Not because she’s an Arab – a political death by anesthetic. Netanyahu weren’t on trial, most suitable candidate for hesder yeshiva in Sderot, the Israel Defense Forces made Meretz actually likes to dec- 12 years in power is enough. the job of prime minister. the entire political in clear to the hesder yeshiva association that hesder ye- orate itself with Arabs – but A society that isn’t capable Even his rivals enhance his shivas are forbidden to conduct political activity and that because she didn’t rise for for replacing its government image (calling him “a magi- system. they are expected to comply with the rules that apply the siren on Memorial Day onto a futile path leading to But what kind of personal every so often is a society cian”). It is a collective in- to soldiers during election season. But apparently that for those who fell in Israel’s “the center,” which promis- ambitions could sprout from that has become accustomed fantilism that suggests the clarification carried no weight. What exactly would the wars. “Mara’ana is an anti- es him a political death by someone who is coming from to authoritarianism, has perpetuation of the person- number – together with the army do to them? Zionist, a Holocaust denier. anesthetic. a position of moderation, fallen in love with it and is ality cult in Israeli politics. elimination of a few minis- The abbreviated hesder service track is the result of She drew the line at the siren “There’s nothing in the balance and caution, like bequeathing it to future gen- The second problem tries and the consolidation political deals, which continue under pressure from the and we won’t forgive her, middle of the road but yellow a flatlining monitor in the erations. is the coronavirus crisis. of several. The four main right-wing parties. There is no logical reason why a regu- ever,” ruled the national San- stripes and dead armadillos,” ICU? After all, this was ex- In the next election – as- True, governments around positions – prime minister lar soldier, who is drafted for full combat service, should hedrin, talk-show hosts Ofira said the American activist actly the tune Gantz was suming it takes place in three the world struggle with a and the ministers of foreign see his peers from the hesder yeshivas serving only 18 and Berkovich. and journalist Jim Hightow- singing when he decided to or four years – there will be pandemic that is beyond affairs, defense and educa- months simply because the military establishment fears Very few will cast a er. But in Israeli politics, ar- break his silence during the young voters who will never their capabilities.