BS"D
Delaying the Final Redemption, One Girl At A Time
1. Tragically, yet another religious immigrant girl has been drafted into the Israeli military - Noa G., from France.
2.
After the Army rejected her Tatzhir Dat (certification of
religiosity), Noa had been in contact with various activists. We know
for a fact that Noa had been contacted by knowledgeable volunteers, who
would have been able to save her from conscription, via proper guidance.
However, she had also been in contact with other women, who mis-advised
her to submit to the Army directive of being interviewed in a Rayon
Dat, a religiosity test. The Rayon Dat is administered by military
officers trained in seeking ways to rob religious girls of their legal
right to a military service exemption. Furthermore, Noa also submitted
to a "Shimu'ah," a Hearing, which is even more serious, by far,
something akin to an indictment. Eventually, and predictably, she
submitted to the Army demand to enlist.
3. The
psychological pressure the Draft Offices bring to bear on these girls
is often of monumental proportions. Nevertheless, every Jew is commanded
to resist attempts to draw them away from G-d, even by sacrificing
one's own life, if necessary.
4. A girl is
forbidden to enlist in the Israeli military due to the near
impossibility of remaining morally pure there, in addition to other
factors, including the intent to draw conscripts away from their
religious devotion and observance.
5. This
tragic event was avoidable. In fact, if the organization that
facilitated her fall into the Army opts to act decisively and in a
timely fashion, perhaps they could still avert the loss of another
priceless soul.
6. It is apparent that the
primary problem here was that even though Noa was contacted by those
volunteers equipped to extricate her from Army entrapment, she declined
to take advantage of the opportunity. Clearly, Noa had been convinced
not to talk with those who could truly help her. Here's a prime example
of where Lashon HaRah (rather, Motzi Shem Rah) can kill a person,
spiritually.
7. This incident also highlights
the crucial need to alert girls and women to contact the right people
prior to encountering problems with the Draft Office. Volunteers with
groups like Chomosaich and Shalhevet are equipped to provide proper
information, based on Rabbinic guidance.
8. What are some of the important things to know about these volunteer networks?
a) They are not in this line of activism as a business.
b)
The approach they take does not seek the self-promotional glamour of
"success" at the expense of individual girls, or at the expense of the
broader cause.
c) Their strategy does not facilitate the Army Draft Office to dictate how they opt to help save the girls.
d)
They do not regularly suggest that girls pursue psychological
exemptions. They shunned such an approach even when the government
clearly preferred that track over providing religious exemptions. Very
recently, the Army ordered that psychological exemptions be severely
limited, given only as a last resort. Furthermore, psychological
exemptions already provided in the past may very possibly become subject
to the specter of revocation, R"L, as per a recent Ma'ariv article.
In short, the volunteers of Chomosaich and Shalhevet seek to do what's ultimately most effective for the girls in distress.
e)
The women volunteering provide proper guidelines, accurate
information, and ongoing Chizuk to girls of all types of religious and
ethnic backgrounds.
f) Additionally, they also
enable those able to intelligently and effectively publicize the plight
of these girls to do so, unimpeded, and without undue sacrifice of
privacy. If more organizations would similarly facilitate proper
publicity of the unrelenting injustices perpetrated by the government
against innocent Israeli teens and women - we wouldn't be seeing
religious girls languishing in military prisons to save their souls from
the Army's "Mizron Tzahali" paradigm.
~~~
The Army Fighting Hard Against... G-d and His People?
9.
Our Sages teach us (in Talmud tractate Sotah 11b), that in the merit
of righteous women the Jewish People were redeemed from Egypt, over 33
centuries ago. The famous work "Kav HaYashar" adds that the same will
hold true with respect to our Final Redemption, the "Geulah Achronah."
10.
It stands to reason that the Soton is fully aware of the timeless
potential of righteous Jewish women. Therefore, he seeks all means of
impeding their development. Drafting teenage girls - particularly
religious and traditional ones - into the abrasive, exploitive, and
immoral Israeli military is perhaps one of the most effective means
available to advance this satanic agenda.
11.
However, as stated previously, we have what to be optimistic about.
Girls, their families, and their advocates should take inspiration from
the many girls and families standing strong against the antireligious
coercion of the IDF Draft Offices.
12. One
such family is the family of Avigail Leah H., who, as a 17 y/o Chabad
girl, was increasingly popular harassed by the Army since February '19.
In fact, her mother (a Ba'alas Teshuva, and previously an Israeli Air
Force captain), was told explicitly by Keren Levy, now heading up the
Jerusalem Draft Office, that she (Ms. Levy) will "decide" if Avigail is
religious -- and she will profane (or "violate") "The Vineyard"
("acha'lail et ha'Kerem") - "and I'll start with your daughter
(Avigail)!"
13. In the face of this unmitigated anti-Jewish
antipathy, Avigail's family remained steadfast in her demand for a
religious exemption. The family braved months of Army threats of arrest
(despite Avigail being below 18). Despite - or perhaps with the "help"
of -government intimidation, Avigail remained persistent in her refusal
to enlist in the IDF, or make any Halachic compromises in the process,
including submitting to a "Rayon Dat." In their persistence, BE"H
Avigail prevailed, and received her religious exemption. (See http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/12/crime-wave-strikes-israeli-girls.html .)
14.
Their fortitude stands as an example for all Jews to emulate. Over 21
centuries ago, the spiritual progenitors of the modern-day Hellenists
similarly sought to draw Jews away from their fidelity to the Torah. And
it was in the merit of righteous women, along with the saintly men who
fought for them in a paradigmatic, miraculous Civil War, that the Jewish
People were saved from the terrible, antireligious edicts of those
days.
~~~
☞
Global Travel Advisory for Israeli Citizens:
15.
Any draft-age girls who have dual citizenship MUST employ great caution
before travelling to Israel. Many citizens of other countries have
encountered real problems, including being mal-advised to send their
draft age daughters to enter the draft offices to deal with draft
related problems.
~~~
16. Whom gets
sent into the draft offices? It's not only those girls who are
perceived as "halfway religious," who may be in real danger of falling
into the army. (We're not justifying sending even those girls into the
Lion's Den of a Rayon Dat, but it's easier to make such an error in
those cases.) It is even the most observant girls as well.
Even
girls with dual citizenship from the U.S.and European countries have
had problems. Here's one such account we received a few days ago:
"My
mother-in-law was born in Israel, and her children have problems with
the Army Draft. Each and every time they come to the Lud airport they
have to tackle this. This morning (11 Shvat, 5780), she told me she
wants to return to London, and she is now in Israel. She has a daughter
who is 16. She was born and grew up in London. She tells me she has to
get a tatzhir das for her in order to take off to London. ...
She
made many phone calls to family and chareidisha government members, and
what came through was that her daughter needs to go to the Tel Hashomer
Draft Office to receive a tatzhir das.
But, as I
previously heard of Choimoisayich, I knew clearly that a girl is not
allowed to go into the Lishkas Hagiyus (draft office). We spoke a lot,
and she was frustrated, disputing my advice repeatedly, saying that ‘I
have to do it according to the system.’ I answered, “their system
doesn’t work!”
I stood firm, assuring her time and again
that a girl may not enter the premises of the Draft Office. Finally, she
responded, “I’m not going, I’m not going, I’m not going!”
I offered help and said, “I don’t want to mix in, but if you need my help I’m willing to. I have whom to ask.”
She
called me back, and informed that she does indeed need my help. I
called Choimoisayich, and guided her what to do. They assured that till
age 18 a girl does not even have what to be scared of. She should go to
the rabbinate and send the tatzhir das via registered post. The
rabbinate provided a form she should show in the airport, and everything
will be okay.
However, at the airport, the
Israelis did hold her up for several minutes, and they did not allow her
mother to be present. They ordered the girl to go to the Israeli
embassy in England. The bottom line is that the Israelis wanted to scare
her into entering the Lishkas Hagiyus. They had the unmitigated
temerity to target an unaccompanied 16 year-old girl and do what they
did.
For every story that’s gets published, there are many, many more which remains unknown. Be careful whom you trust!"
