Breaking News from Behind the Israeli Iron Curtain
1. Lital bas Miriam (https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2020/01/when-criminal-justice-is-truly-crimina.html), now
languishing in Israeli Military Prison Four for about 17 days (since
her arrest on Jan.13), had her hearing scheduled for yesterday (Wed.,
Jan. 29) delayed yet again, until next Tuesday, Feb. 4. That is
essentially one more way a keeping an innocent religious young lady in
military jail, under often brutal conditions (see above link) - without
Due Process.
2. Moreover, the government is reportedly seeking to hit her with an outrageous 81 day prison sentence.
3.
One would think the government would want to dispatch with this
courageous Refusenik quickly. However, that will apparently only occur
if concerned people continue to pressure the Israeli government, by
exposing their ongoing abuse of this and other Refusenik girls (like
Tal-Yah bas Rus and Yehudis Noah, see below).
4. To remind the
readers, Lital's abuse by the Army was triggered by her agreement to
submit to a Religiosity Interview (apparently in absence of any warning
about the prohibition and dangers involved) - NINE years ago.
5.
In the wake of that meeting, the Army refused to honor her legal
entitlement to an automatic religious exemption, on the pretext that she
didn't answer a particular question pertaining to "Kriyas HaTorah," the
ritual reading of the Torah (in the synagogue, with a quorum of ten
adult males).
6. "Kriyas HaTorah" is an
obligation incumbent on men, from which women are exempt, under Jewish
Law (perhaps Maitav is more stringent that our Sages on this matter).
7.
Thus, a girl seeking to secure her religious exemption should not be
asked questions on that topic, period. Moreover, failure to answer such
questions means precisely nothing, especially when it comes to
questioning her religiosity.
8. The rank
absurdity of this charade is somewhat ironic - in light of the fact that
the primary exception to the exemption of women from the ritual reading
of the Torah is the obligation to hear "Parshas Zachor" (D'varim
25:17-19, at the end of Kee-Saitzai). That brief section exhorts us
about the obligation incumbent on all Jews to safeguard our timeless
emnity towards Amalek, the embodiment of Evil for the sake of Evil, the
ageless paradigm of Rebellion against G-d Himself. To be fair, the Draft
Office (Maitav) should mandate asking questions about one of the most
foundational texts on the subject of Amalek, being Rav Elchonon
Wasserman, in his "Kovetz He'Oros" on Yevamos, Aggadah section, ch. 10,
#1-6. A perusal of that essay will clarify precisely why Maitav would
opt to recuse themselves from that "uncomfortable" topic, out of
conflict of interest.
9. Recently, information
on other incarcerated girls has trickled out, out of what has assumed
the contours of the Iron Curtain, i.e. the Israeli military prison
system, from which information is often very difficult to extract.
Yehudis
Noah, a religious immigrant from France, has just recently been
discovered to have been languishing in Prison Six, in the North -- for
over TWO MONTHS! There, prisoners often suffer exposure to the cold over
the winter months. Our current information is that, for some reason,
her religious exemption was denied, and she was compelled to enlist.
Within days, she was struck with the realization that it's impossible
to remain faithful to Judaism in the Army, and therefore fled.
Subsequently, she was apparently imprisoned for abandoning the very
environment that compelled her to flee for her [spiritual] life.
10.
Additionally, Tal-Yah bas Rus continues to be held in Prison Four,
apparently for fleeing the Army. Reportedly, she's already been held for
over a month and a half, and about 15 days ago she was sentenced to 35
days in military prison.
11. Outrages
like this may, G-d forbid, continue - unless even more concerned Jews
increase the pressure against the government (e.g., http://firstamendmentactivist.blogspot.com/2020/01/righteous-outrage-goes-international.html).
Specifically, female demonstrations against the Israeli government
drafting, harassment, incarceration, and persecution of female
Refuseniks must be held at Israeli offices and events internationally,
emphasizing the immoral nature of the female military draft. Their
anti-exploitation message would resonate globally.
Please stay tuned for updates.
