By COLlive reporter
Jerusalem is bracing itself for a mass gathering on Sunday evening that is expected to draw some 100,000 frum men in protest of the charedi enlistment bill.
Although the media is labeling it a demonstration, the event will not include any speeches. The schedule includes davening Mincha, reciting chapters of Tehillim and saying the Shema.
All the central factions of the haredi public will gather Sunday near the International Conventions Center at the entrance to Jerusalem, Ynet reported.
Among the frum, the protest has already earned the title of “The Millions’ Protest.” Regardless of the exact number that will show up, it will be a show of strength for the growing frum community in Israel and its commitment to learning Torah.
Members of Beis Rabbonei Chabad, the rabbinical body of the Lubavitch in Israel, has released two letters last week calling on chassidim from around the country to attend and another to the Chabad Yeshivos to send their bochurim as well.
The prayer rally is scheduled to start on Sunday at 4:00 pm. The main entrance to Jerusalem will be closed to private vehicles from noon Sunday and public transportation from 2 pm. Police urged citizens to refrain from reaching the area.
A few hours before the event, an edition of the Tanya will be printed nearby in merit of the many learning Torah in Israel. It is a private initiative and its organizer said the decision was welcomed by rabbis and mashpiim.
The central text of chassidus, authored by the Alter Rebbe, is customarily printed around the world to purify and bring holiness there.
If it wasn’t for all the non religious zionists who fought for eretz yisroel, the chareidim wouldn’t b there. The chareidim must contribute something to the country…maybe not the full 3 years in the army but at least something!!! Its unfair to have only nonreligious ppl giving up their lives for the country..the chareidim must serve at least a minute amount..also, the government should let them have proper frumkeit in the army
1. No problem; it’s irrelevant.
2. Depends how you look at it. If Bennett hadn’t teamed up with Lapid he wouldn’t be in the government now.
3. Today there aren’t any Chabad hesder yeshivot. But if they had to choose they’d all become hesder overnight. The amount of Chabad bochurim who serve is outrageous, thanks for ignoring that fact. They do come to the Rebbe, it’s not soteir.
4. Not now, but in a few short years there will be, and it will take until then to sort out the kinks in this new law.
And it’s a lot more than just 30%…
1) I’m not a fan of Feglin, he just happens to be well spoken on this issue.
2) My points about Bennett’s politics are accurate.
3) OF COURSE this affects Chabad. Most Chabad bouchrim get s p’tur and get married or come to the Rebbe, not serve in the Army, and not one single Chabad Yeshiva (that I know of) is funded as Hesder.
4) There is no shortage of soldiers. There is a bloated, disorganized Army that needs to make better use of what it has. Again, I’m not a big Feglin fan, but he’s right about this.
A lot of chareidim would love to join the army but are scared of being ostracized and cut off without any support, any education, and any future. If EVERYONE has to join it will make a lot of young chareidim secretly very happy. Promise.
And regarding the funding – it is an ongoing fight and I can promise you, Lapid is losing. He might be finanace minister but his decisions – all of them – are making the rest of the government extremely angry. And it doesn’t help that his friend, the education minister, also likes to stir things up.
You’re wrong. This davka doesn’t affect Chabad. First of all, if it would, Chabad yeshivot would become hesder yeshivot overnight. Which doesn’t really make so much of a difference because P.S. – most Chabad bochurim do serve, even if it’s not the full three years. Even if it’s only after kvutza or getting married or whatever. Second, shlichut is now considered sheirut leumi and therefore ANY bochur who does shlichut has discharged his army obligation. And get this – the vote FOR that law was almost unanimous. Plus, you’re forgetting that bochurim are not required to draft at age 18… Read more »
1) The draft does not affect Chabad. Yes, you read right – it will not, in the end, affect Chabad. Because it’s a gezeira against chareidim, not against Chabad. Shlichut is now considered sheirut leumi. Chabad bochurim sometimes do draft, just after they finish kvutza, smicha, and they are married. They will not be forced to draft early, or at all, really. And so, why should we join a rally that will only make Hashem’s kaas worse? Oy larasha v’oy leshcheino. Not saying chareidim are reshaim; I have a lot of friends and relatives who are chareidi – but this… Read more »
Because it’s true. Learn from history will ya.
I wish there was a like option to give you a thumbs up.
Well put 21
they were also learning torah too!
Protecting against the enemies does not contradict learning torah.
When they are surrounded by chamas animals with knives and guns…we have been killed before…the holocaust happened people….we cant rely on miracles..we have to wake up and stop being delusional
I second that.
What a biased explanation! Israel has been pondering what to do with this problem for a while. In just a decade, the chareidim will make up 30% of the Israeli population. That means that almost a third of the country will not be working, and will be living off everyone else’s taxes. The problem Bennett is addressing, is that with the current laws, and ways of the chareidim, if one does not serve in the army, they are not allowed to work. The new bill says that any bochur who is incapable of sitting and learning all day, must serve… Read more »
As a soldier myself I can say thar its not merely a poltical stuntor an act to hurt charedim. There is unfortunately a shortage of soldiers in the army and it needs all the help it can get. Its a shame its being forced on charedim to join the army, but at the same time its forced every other ctizen of the country. In saying that, I do believe that eveey person has a different purpose and strength in this world. Those who are capable of learning full.time must do so and comtribute their ‘service’ this way. The torah has… Read more »
Thank you!!
i agree with that this whole protest has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with what the rebbe taught us. if the rebbe would see such a thing happening, trust me, it wouldnt be a good encouragement for the chareidim in israel…. but also the bochurim shoudnt go to the army. the protest wont help anyways. this is bittul toiro (dont know if u could say that in lubavich) the bochurim have to sit and learn. this would be a good excuse for bochurim who dont like learning. im just ashamed of all the rabbonim and the chareidim for their approve… Read more »
shame on you ! how can you say that the rebbe wants bouchrim to fight instead of going to yshiva even if you are going to say its a great zchus isnt it torah that protects us
how could you say about bouchrim that learn are just
bench warmers???????????????/
(Most of) The comments here show that ppl who call themselves “chabad” don’t know ANYTHING of the Rebbe’s opinions! The Rebbe’s opinion was straight up BOCHURIM CAN NOT BE DRAFTED! Go learn the sichos! They are printed. The protest was an extreme kiddush hashem, where thousands of yidden – misnagdim, chassidim, sfardim, etc. etc. even zionist rabbis(!) – in achdus said tehillim for the matzav, such a achdus was something the Rebbe asked for time and time again. So before you write what “chabad” should or should not be doing, check up what the Rebbe, who happens to be the… Read more »
It seems a lot of folks here aren’t familiar with the background to this bill. I strongly recommend listening to Moshe Feglin’s interviews over the last few weeks where he lays everything out. Non-drafting of bouchrim has been the status quo for years. It has nothing to do with welfare or other social services; both rich and poor bouchrim are exempt. However, the Israeli left has always used the lack of chareidi army service as a way to badmouth frum yidden. Israel has won every war they’ve fought with a mostly non-religious army, in the zechus of the many yidden… Read more »
This isn’t merely about bochrim, although on that point you are correct. This is about men, grown men with families, sitting in poverty, all in the name of Torah. I’m not knocking anyone who legitimately leads a life in that spirit; quite the contrary. The issue is when you have a majority of an affiliated group that is exempt from basic service to ones country, and a Jewish one at that, whilst the excusing and legitimizing it all in the name of Torah. It would be in the best interests of those who call themselves Chareidim to submit themselves to… Read more »
shame on lubavitch in israel shame on all the rabbonim who signed this paper its against the what lubavitch stands for its against what the rebbe stood for….i cant belief aguch in Israel didnt stand up against this the rebbe was against demonstrations its bittul torah and the rebbe loved the idf and wanted the idf to be strong to protect the jewish people. consider this a mocha!
Please read before you comment. There will be no women at e event. And you can leave Israel for many reasons including wanting to learn in a Yeshiva located in Chul.
There is no excuse we need to protect the country just like everyone else…
The ‘Enlistment Bill’ as it is being called in English is a wonderful thing. The IDF is a Jewish army and part of living in a democratic country is the idea of paying back. If the Charedim want money for social programs such as welfare, exemption from taxes, food stamps, etc, then they need to start giving back. It is extremely unfair to expect the government to provide all these programs, but to never reciprocate. Furthermore, those who commented above are correct, most of these boys are not learning in Yeshivah full time. They are just using that as an… Read more »
I still have not seen a valid reason why chabad should not join… the whole chareidi world is protesting… so should we
seems to me that this is all just a lazy excuse for that which should be mandatory.
How different Chabad Israel and Chabad USA is, in many ways.
Please be so kind to find a transcript of a sicha in 5768.
The Rebbe was AGAINST drafting yeshiva bochurim!
Part of living in Eretz Yisroel is joining the army and helping to protect its citizens. If you don’t like it, move elsewhere.
The Rebbe wanted Yeshivah students to learn and not join the army because Israel needs both the army and the Torah which is the real protection ! I understand that without a Tzaddik telling us this we might think otherwise but we need to be bottul to the Rebbe.
I’m happy to see this; even though we like to joke that we aren’t really chareidim, the new laws affect Lubavitchers (taking money away from yeshivos and dragging bouchrim to the Army) just as much as other communities. To many secular zionists, we’re just as bad as any other charedi group and standing up to that attitude is the right thing to do.
All citizens should be required to serve. No exceptions other than health issues. Why are Charedi lives more valuable than any others? Why do they feel entitled to take and take and take, and give nothing in return, not only in Israel but in the US and Canada as well?
Let us hope that Moshiach will be in the lead and there will not be any need for further discussions!
Rallies are dangerous. Especially chareidi rallies. Also, for all that rabbanim don’t want men and women mixing – suddenly, for this rally, it’s okay. Suddenly it’s okay to text message. Suddenly everything is okay – except one thing: drafting bochurim who are mostly bench-warmers anyways. And don’t tell me that I’m stereotyping or making it up because I’ve seen it with my own eyes – wayyyy too many times. Hey, even leaving Israel is okay – a few groups talked about mass exodus even though according to halacha there is no good reason for it. Obviously, they’re incredibly smart, too… Read more »
Perhaps someone can explain what is wrong with the enlistment bill.
You can’t have a third of the country exempt from the army because they are learning in Yeshiva.
I believe that even the far left MK’s would be willing to work out a compromise if the Chareidim (not Chabad) would be willing to come to the table instead of mooching off the government while not contributing a dime.
Why is Chabad joining? This will be another Chilul Hashem, with burning fires and arrests and police horses, Why don’t we keep out?
The whole thing is a political farce. The army doesn’t want them and they want to be able to work so it’s actually opposite of the way it looks
pl post what the rebbe said on this matter,end of tishrei 5768.
thank you