BS"D
"The Time Is Now" to Free ALL Israeli Women from the Military Draft °° Degel, Aguda & Lot's Vittur On His Own Daughters °° Same-Sex Marriage in U.S. Senate
22 MarCheshvan, 5783 / November 16, '22
By Binyomin Feinberg, former contributor to The Jewish Press
° QUESTION: Why is it that, when it comes to emulating Lot's apparent vittur (compromise) on the purity of his own daughters (according to some commentaries), we find so many ostensibly anti-zionist politicians, activists - and even some Rabbis - venerating and genuflecting to the Israeli government party-line - by relegating "non-religious" girls [as antireligious/ secularist headhunters at the Israeli Draft Office opt to qualify them] to forced military service, and, so often, military incarceration, with all of the indignities that go along with that leftist, male-dominated milieu - especially for Ba'alos Teshuva, sefardi, Ethiopian, immigrants, and sundry "periphery" girls? At least Lot was sincerely trying to save his guests from woken "Equality" treatment by the indigenous Rainbow barbarians, rather than seeking to advance his real-estate development career via government largesse.
° The following is a link to a Guidebook ("pocketbook") provided by the pro-Israel advocacy organization "Chotam." It's an English guide for religious girls to avoid enlistment in the IDF:
https://www.chotam.org.il/media/61762/pinkaskis-orange-english.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1hBP9tHJxSIfF07n8ywx27I_kWn0jfd9EOBy7fYfRe1xNChBPBU4qLLo0
Right now, there's a rare opportunity
(see https://www.timesofisrael.com/anti-lgbt-party-to-demand-law-banning-gender-studies-in-elementary-schools/)
to push for foundational policy changes in Israel, via an unprecedented level of religious clout that could be leveraged to stand against Israeli government promotion of immoral, anti-Torah policies. This window of time obliges us even more to push to eradicate the entire female draft, without delay -- for ALL girls, not only those the Draft Office recognizes as "religious enough" to be saved from indignities endemic to the Army milieu.
Given the recent gains by followers of the martyred Rabbi Meir Kahane, HY"D, who's broad platform unequivocally opposed drafting women into the Israeli Army, we would hope that the golden opportunity to finally eliminate the female military draft altogether isn't squandered. The fact that MK Avi Maoz of the pro-morality No'am Party is publicly advocating for prioritizing restoration of basic morality accentuates the obligation on other members of Knesset who campaigned as representing religious parties to finally grow a spine on those issues of foundational morality, including the escalation female military draft disaster.
The experience of the past few years, in which the Army Draft Office is encroaching on more and more traditional and religious girls, with increasing impunity, demonstrates that no approach other than fighting for a truly universal female military service exemption will suffice. And that's one policy that actually may endure subsequent leftist governments, because, once free from conscription, even many "nonreligious" women won't agree to be again forced into military service.
° Despite hopes to the contrary, Maital bas Tamar, a 20-year-old sefardi female refusenik, has still not been granted a military service exemption by the Israeli Army, despite demonstrating her depth of conviction by enduring two stints of military incarceration over her refusal to enlist. See http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2022/10/true-strength.html (Sun., Oct. 16, 2022)), the most recent post on her plight. There we report some of the inexcusable human rights abuses to which she was allegedly subjected, by Israeli military police.
° Readers may wonder why we sometimes publicize allegations (by Israeli girls being pursued by the Army Draft Office) before being proven. Reporting a PLAUSIBLE allegation - AS an allegation - remains a judgement call we're called to make on a regular basis. Some of the relevant factors we must often way include:
(1) the preponderance of evidence, consisting of similar allegations of misconduct by the Army, Military Police, etc., in previous cases;
(2) the inability to prove or disprove the allegations, especially within the requisite time-frame;
(3) the High Stakes: in case they are true, not publicizing credible allegations risks enabling more mistreatment of innocent girls standing up for their religious values and/or personal modesty and dignity;
(4) the existence of a presumption of responsibility (a "chazaka," if you will) on the part of the headhunters at the Army Draft Office, who, to begin with, have no moral right to draft, threaten, intimidate, dupe, arrest, or persecute ANY girl altogether - of ANY religious, racial, national, or cultural background. Thus, the burden of proof of overall innocence lays squarely on the Army Draft Office, rather than on the refusenik girl, even if her specific allegations are not yet proven.
° Another point requiring clarification is that when we critique the Israeli Army for individual abuses (which truly do abound), we do so cognizant of the fact that not everyone in the system is actively perpetrating said abuses. Nevertheless, the very tolerance of such abuses, even if they are clearly only aberrations, is wrong. How much more so when such abuses are commonly, credibly reported or alleged. Thus, our description of the Israeli Army as "exploitive," for example, is not an exaggeration, but rather a critique of those in leadership positions who indeed are responsible for all of the exploitation that occurs on their watch.
May we merit to see the day when the righteous efforts of all good people yield their fruit.
~~~
° SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ALERT:
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on a national same-sex "marriage" bill, today, Wednesday. No matter what changes Congressional leaders are making to the bill - to render it palatable for sellouts of religious persuasion - the legislators need realize that our opposition is based on principle, and therefore remains irreconcilable. Additionally, practically speaking, it's been observed that "the Road to H--- is paved with Religious Exemptions." Once the depraved "Rainbow" policies are accepted by "the People," as represented by Congress - it's just a matter of time before we lose those religious protections. Once society accepts these abominations, in principle, as civil rights -- those faux Civil Rights will ultimately trump our religious liberties.
The United States faces grave threats, spiritual and physical. Another vote for this rebellion against G-d (e.g., see Chullin 92b, Maharal) brings America ever closer to the looming fate shared by precursors of the contemporary Rainbow Mob: the generation of the Mabul (Great Deluge; see VaYikra Rabbah 23:9) and Sodom. A sign of an idiot is repetition of identical actions expecting different results. Also realize how passage of such legislation will impact Israeli society and law.
Call your senator today, as soon as possible, to actively oppose the "Respect (sic) For Marriage Act."
Congressional Switchboard: 202.224.3121 (ask for the number of the specific Senator or Congressman needed)
~~~
"... And if someone, like Pinchos, is one among a multitude, and every man is against him when he dares to speak out for truth and to fight for the Law -- the more lonely his stand, the greater the number of his adversaries, the more powerful is his word, the mightier his deed."
-- Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch OB"M (1808-1888), (in "Judaism Eternal," vol. 2, p. 293)
###
