Surprise, surprise. The bill proposed and backed by the ultra-orthodox hasn’t garnered a majority in the Knesset. And why should it? Instead of helping incorporate the ultra-orthodox into mainstream Israeli society, it encourages unemployment and separatism.
This idea of separatism is not new to the ultra-orthodox. They thrive on it. For instance, in order to get out of army service, a definite taboo in Israeli society, ultra-orthodox men commit to spending about ten years in yeshiva. This creates a huge rift in Israeli society. Besides the fact that, in my opinion, it’s not a fair trade off — it’s okay for my brothers and friends to put their lives on the line for three years, but these men are too holy to do so? Not only that, but they used to be entitled to a stipend for their learning. In other words, not only were they not contributing to society, but they were getting paid not to contribute. It was a backwards situation, to say the least.
And then, in a groundbreaking decision, the Supreme Court revoked that privilege. And this decision is what Netanyahu seeks to ignore. Yitzchak Shmueli, the head of the National Student Union in Israel, called this move of Netanyahu’s “a slap in the face” and I agree with him. Think of it: We have a case where there are two types of students, however only one type will go on and contribute to the bettering of Israeli society as a whole. Now, don’t get me wrong. I think learning Torah is extremely important. But I don’t think that an entire section of society should be allowed special treatment and to become essentially parasitic. I have to wonder what Netanyahu stands to gain by supporting this bill…
