Nov. 6, '19
By Binyomin Feinberg, Contributor to The Jewish Press*
feinbergbinyomin@gmail.com
* The perspectives and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of The Jewish Press.
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The Government Circumventing Their Own Laws:
In Jewish Law it's prohibited for a girl or woman to serve in the military, particularly given its rampant immorality, and due to the exploitive nature of the military environment. Due to pressure from Orthodox Jewish leaders across the spectrum in the early days of the State of Israel, the government had compromised by allowing girls exemptions if they would send in certification of their religiosity. In recent years, the government has gotten far stricter in providing religious exemptions. One systemic problem is that,
against their own legal requirements, the Army often refuses to send girls confirmation of their religious exemptions. According to Israeli regulations, once a girl sends in her religious certification - "Tatzhir Dat" ("TD" herein), she must be sent her exemption certification within a short time. However, many girls don't see any such exemption documentation. One way the government has of getting around that legal requirement is to simply "not receive" the TD. This is reportedly a common phenomenon for religious girls seeking exemptions. (One eyewitness even saw an Israeli Postal worker dispose of an entire bag of Religious Certification documents, mailed in by an untold number of girls seeking to secure their religious exemptions.) This type of kleptocratic activity rivals what you'd expect to find in corrupt countries that operate without the luxury of the rule of law. But, for many religious girls, it's a reality. Even the postal receipt doesn't guarantee that the government approved and processed her religious exemption. Not receiving the TD is one of the pretexts the government has been using to pressure girls into enlisting, or showing up at the Draft Offices, to be subjected to all sorts of pressure to enlist. Public pressure does work. It's important to publicize these types of phenomenon to combat them. To be continued, BE"H.
