Getting To Know You




When I speak to veterans of World War II there is one story that seems to be repeated all the time- boot camp. The young Jewish draftee is dumped in some camp in a place that he never heard of and finds his way to the barracks filled with soldiers who had never met a Jew before. You know the rest of the story—the young Jewish draftee is asked to show his horns! As crazy as it sounds to us I know those stories are true and, yes, the other soldiers really did expect to see horns.

If anything positive came of such encounters I hope it was a barrack filled with men who learned that Jews do not have horns and, in fact, are just like them in so many ways. It was a reciprocal education- many young Jews learned to live out in the “goyisha velt” and many non-Jews learned that all the stereotypes they had heard were not true. I believe it was a positive encounter. I have always believed that anti-Semitism is bred by ignorance. People will believe almost anything about someone they don’t know. As a rabbi I feel it is a real mitzvah any time I can teach a non-Jew about our religion.

It seems strange but these veterans’ stories came to my mind as I read about a recent vote in the Israeli Knesset. No, not a story about Israelis and Palestinians getting to know each other but about Israelis getting to know each other. Last week a bill was passed that requires young Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men to be drafted into the Army at age 21. Until now that community had been exempt from service. Needless to say, this has caused much bitterness from those who serve. This move is not a done deal- religious political leaders are still threatening to pull their votes from the coalition government and, as written, the law does not take effect for four years.

There will be much more political fallout to come and no one knows what will happen but I believe there could be one very beneficial effect- by serving in the IDF religious and secular Israelis will be forced to live together and to get to know each other. These two worlds exist side by side in Israel- the secular and the Orthodox. They live in physical proximity but they live in different worlds. This creates a wall that very few ever bother to scale. It only creates hatred and mistrust in both communities

There are several truths that stand behind this new bill. Israel needs a standing army- universal service is not an option it is an unfortunate necessity. Until the burden of protecting Medinat Yisrael is shared equally by all, such service will remain a point of friction and resentment. I know that the Haredim have their own reasons for not wanting to serve in the military but I believe their service and the interaction that it will foster could go a long way toward uniting two parts of Israeli society that have been and remain total strangers to each other. It will be a bitter medicine to many but I believe the patient will be healthier and stronger in the end.