Friday, March 5, 2021

Fighting Jew-Hatred Starts@"Home

 BS"D


Combating Jew-Hatred Starts At  "Home:"

The Israeli Army Continues to Persecute Olga Shamilov and Many Other Women Resisting the  Female Draft

21 Adar, 5781 °° Parshas Kee-Sissah / Parah °° March 5, '21

By Binyomin Feinberg

Olga Shamilov is an Israeli "Ba'alas Teshuva," a young woman who has rediscovered her Jewish roots. Her plight exemplifies the predicaments in which increasing numbers of religious Israeli girls find themselves lately, vis-a-vis the Army Draft Office.  As fully dedicated to observance of Torah Law, Miss Shamilov has been resolutely fulfilling the Torah obligations to resist enlistment in the Israeli Army. According to all leading Torah authorities, from across the spectrum, women and girls are prohibited from enlisting in the [notoriously promiscuous] Israeli military.  For over 16 months, since her draft date on Oct. 27, 2019, she's been braving the threat of arrest and military incarceration. 

° Background:

Miss Shamilov's story first broke in The Jewish Press, on Nov.15, '19 (p.17):

"... In related news, Olga Samilov, an 18-year-old ba'alas teshuva, reports that she was denied her religious exemption despite properly following procedures, at an August 14 (2019) hearing at the Tel HaShomer Draft Office.  The officer reportedly told her that the army decided not to provide her an exemption, without providing any legal rationale or pretext. Consequently, she was given a draft-date of October 27 (2019). She refused to enlist, and thus lives daily under the threat of imminent arrest. Is she being discriminated against because she's a ba'alas teshuvah without a support system?"


More recently, during Chanukah, on Teves 2 (Dec. 17, '20), the Army sent her a letter threatening her with arrest, claiming that she has been "criminally absent" from the Army since her October 2019 draft date.  Consequently "... an arrest warrant has been issued against you," and "delivered to civil and military police," the missive intones.  The letter proceeds to order Miss Shamilov to comply with Draft Authorities, and give herself in - and bring along two weeks of provisions (for a punitive stint in military prison?).

Consequently, this young lady never knows what the next knock on the door may bring. Israeli military police have been known to arrest and drag such girls from their homes at 2:30AM.  It's hard to accurately convey how it actually feels to live like that for even one day, much less for months on end. Ironically, in the country which markets itself to the free world as the "Jewish" State - and ostensibly a "home" for Jews fleeing religious persecution around the world - this female religious refusenik is being persecuted for her very fidelity to her Jewish Faith.

In addition, the Israeli Army is doing all of this without a legal pretext. It's clear from military court documentation that Miss Shamilov is indisputably religious, thus should qualify for an automatic religious exemption.  Even the Army Draft Office has no basis to even question that. Furthermore, she properly followed procedures in filing for her religious exemption.  Specifically, she obtained her Tatzhir Dat (certification of religiosity) via a Bais Din (religious court), and properly submitted it to the Tel HaShomer Draft Office. She was subsequently summoned to a Rayon Dat (a "religiosity interview"). On Nov.19, '18, well over two years ago, she met the Army draft officers (being  uninformed of the halachic and practical objections to submitting to these dangerous IDF religiosity interrogations). She answered the questions properly. She was nevertheless denied her religious  exemption, without a rudimentary veneer of justification.

In fact, the female Army  interrogator in one such interrogation had so little of substance to say that she was reduced to arguing that Miss Shamilov should enlist because  she [the officer] herself ostensibly hadn't encountered anything in her own experience as an Army officer that contravened her own values. (That draft officer apparently identifies with one of the untraditional, leftwing national-religious factions.) In a polite but firm manner, Miss Shamilov responded, conveying that her own religious values diverge from those of her Army interrogator, replying along the lines of: "I differ from you inasmuch as I strive to constantly surpass whatever I have already attained." 

Indeed, the insistence on constant spiritual growth lies at the essence of Judaism. Absence of that drive is the hallmark of the spiritual decay that is central to movements that subvert Orthodoxy from within. We can only pray that Miss Shamilov's ostensibly religious interrogator will one day recognize the wisdom of the response she evoked on that day.

°  The IDF denial of Miss Shamilov's legal entitlement to a religious military service exemption is not only blatantly illegal - it's also discriminatory abuse against her as a religious girl/woman. There is term commonly employed to refer to that type of discriminatory misconduct: "antisemitism." A  more accurate term is "Jew Hatred" ("Sin'as Yisroel").  This form thereof, however, is Sin'as Yisroel of the worst type. This is spiritual Jew-hatred - discriminatory persecution of a girl for her faithfulness to Torah.

° Worse, this is "spiritual antisemitism" employed in a manner threatening to terrorize hundreds of other religious girls into forgoing the battle over their religious exemptions, and enlisting into the Israeli Army, in clear violation of Torah Law.  This is the very military where, according to Israeli government statistics, religious girls are far more likely to lose their Judaism than maintain it, as recently reported in several pro-Israel venues, e.g. "Matzav HaRu'ach," (Feb.4), and the most recent newsletter of the religious zionist organization "Chotam" (Feb. 28 / Adar). For more information, Chotam provided the following links. [Note, as with third party links in general, we provide them for documentation and research purposes, but cannot take responsibility for their contact.]

°°°

°  The case of Miss Shamilov is not by any means the only case that can be clearly qualified as overtly antireligious persecution by the Israeli Army . Another exceptionally well- documented, heart-rendering case of antireligious persecution is that of Avigail Leah bas Rus Ester Leenor H. (who ultimately received her religious exemption); see (28 Aug.,'19 / 27 Av, 5779) https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/08/alh-report-2-28-AugViolating-vineyard.html; (27 Aug. 2019 /26 Av, 5779: ) https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/08/another-religious-girl-and-her-IDF-vet.html;  (Update 5 Ellul '79: ) https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/09/violating-vineyard-update.html.

°  It's also noteworthy that the Israeli Army seems to feel comfortable enough about their management of the otherwise totally out-of-control Corona plague to seek to enlist women, whom they do not need for any legitimate military purposes.

° For those wishing to daven for her, her Hebrew name is Olga bas Soroh Shirah.
°°°
The blatant injustice being perpetrated against Olga Shamilov (cf. "Ongoing IDF Anti-religious Hate Under Corona" https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2020/04/ongoing-idf-antireligious-hate-under.html) is by no means rare.  Many, many brave individuals like her - including other long-time female refuseniks - continue to endure harassment, and even persecution for their Jewish Faith. The following are just a few known examples of young Israeli women facing the specter of imminent arrest and imprisonment in military jail:

»»  Ziva bas Mazal M.: 

A religious Ethiopian refusenik, from a religious family encumbered by serious illness of one of her parents, Miss M. braved three weeks of military incarceration in Sept. and Oct. 2019 over her devotion to the Torah prohibition against enlistment in the Army. Her  ongoing antireligious persecution by the Israeli military was reported in The Jewish Press on Sept. 27,'19 / Parshas Nitzovim, 5779  (p.105), Jan.17, '20 (p.80), and June 26, '20 (p.18), and here: https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2020/01/religious-persecution-of-ethiopian-girl.html;  https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/10/racial-profiling-or-pure-antireligious.html;  https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/10/making-racism-great-again.htmlhttps://firstamendmentactivist.blogspot.com/2020/06/Israeli-Black-Lives-Matter-Too.html.  Miss M. remains without a religious exemption, and could potentially be arrested at any time, and face extended jail time, if the Israeli government opts to again put their international reputation at further risk.

»» Tadalah bas Mantjavush: 

Another Ethiopian refusenik, who was recently notified of her military service exemption only after being persecuted in Israeli Military Prison Six; see:  https://firstamendmentactivist.blogspot.com/2021/01/idf-persecuting-epileptic-religious.html, http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2021/01/idf-persecuting-epileptic-religious.html  (13 Shvat, 5780 °°  Parshas Beshalach / Jan. 26, '21)

»» Shuly bas R.:

See: Escalating Antireligious Female Draft: http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2021/02/escalating-antireligious-female-draft.html (Thu., 6 Adar, 5781 / Feb. 18, '21).

»» Hodoyah bas Leemor: 

She too has been under threat of arrest for months. She apparently submitted her Religiosity Certification late due to Corona complications, complications not accommodated by the Army, as their agreement with the Rabbinate mandated. Her standing was harmed substantially in the process of a Religiosity "Interview."  See https://firstamendmentactivist.blogspot.com/2020/07/idf-targeting-religious-girls-in.html

Her plight accentuates Israeli Army's Corona hypocrisy.  The Israeli government tends to take a hard line against those religious Jews who violate Corona restrictions, rules of debated efficacy. On the other hand, when it comes to drafting every religious girl they can get, the Army and Draft Office sometimes act as if Corona doesn't exist.

»» N.D.: a 19 year-old volunteer from France, reportedly lied to by IDF headhunters from beginning to end, and mistreated in an astoundingly ungrateful manner; see: https://firstamendmentactivist.blogspot.com/2021/02/biting-hand-that-sacrifices.html.

»  There are many more girls and women suffering Israeli Army persecution in silence.

»  Additionally, there are many, many more who aren't at that stage of threat of arrest - yet. A few examples include:

Anna bas Miriam,

Loren bas Miriam,

Sapir Soroh bas Bellah,17;

Shilat bas Ester,17.

»  That's not to mention all of those teens and young women being duped or goaded into willingly enlisting, by the Army - or by what some deem to be its "plausible-deniability" agent (or its "surrogate enlistment and trafficking" arm, if you will), the government-funded leftwing organization "Aluma."

And all of this is being advanced under an ostensibly rightwing Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu.

These are real-life examples of the aforementioned righteous individuals. These are individuals confronting formidable, often seemingly insurmountable odds, and ultimately prevailing.  We need them -- far more than they need us. They serve as our shlichim ("agents"). By standing in their defense, we can hope to share, in some measure, in their unimaginable merit, in both this world and the next. And we need their merits now, perhaps more than ever before.

The following insights of HaRav Shamshon Refoel Hirsch OB"M, the world-renowned leader of (C E.) 1800's German Jewry, regarding Pinchos, are ever relevant to us, especially now:

"... And if someone, like Phinehas, 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. He is the savior of those against whom he struggles, a priest of atonement for those who stand by in silence, for he accomplishes what they should all have accomplished.  Though every man be against him and he stand alone, yet G-d's covenant is with him and allows not his word to be lost or his deeds to vanish without trace."

A page earlier, Rav Hirsch explains:

"As long as even one man has the courage to take up the struggle openly for G-d's cause - which is no less than the cause of man's future - it is not lost on earth and the intervention of DIVINE JUDGEMENT* is not required. He (Pinchos -Ed.) had demonstrated for all time  that whenever the sanctity of G-d and His Law is being mocked and trampled on (Chillul HaShem), EVERY* other consideration must give way."

{* emphasis absent in original}

(printed in "Judaism Eternal," translation by Dayan Dr. I Grunfeld, vol.2, p. 293 (Soncino Publ., London, 1956)), in an essay at.the end of the volume entitled "Pinchus ("Phinehas") - Eliyahu")
°°°
Deriving Inspiration from Current Tribulations:

One of the many lessons that the ongoing Coronavirus plague accentuates is the power of one individual to change the world.  We see how even a single infected person can spread a highly contagious disease - globally.  The last Mishna in Makkos instructs us that "Midah Tovah Merubah," Divine Beneficence by far surpasses Divine Retribution, by a scale of one to 500. If one person can potentially do so much harm, imagine how much GOOD could he or she could do.

In physical matters we see this phenomenon clearly, and specifically in regard to Corona. Of course this plague was declared in Heaven. However, from an earthly perspective, al-pi teva, imagine how differently things could have been if the individual Chinese doctor who posted an early warning about the Coronavirus outbreak would have been properly heeded, rather than hounded by the Chinese Communists? One fearless sentinel, if heeded, could have saved the entire world from this plague.  In spiritual matters, the potential of an upright individual is arguably far greater. Just consider the Avos. Avrohom Avinu spearheaded a global theological revolution,  turning over the world, away from pagan endarkenment, towards authentic Monotheism.

Of the many positive lessons we can learn from this devastating plague, this is one. This is not to assert that this is necessarily one of the reasons for which we are being punished. However, it's clearly one crucial moral lesson we can derive.

°  In the wake of the Corona magaifah (plague), most of us have experiencing "Bidud," solitary confinement, to one degree or another. But, as readers of these posts and columns know, we're not the first ones to experience such isolation. For many months, we've been reporting on numerous Israeli military draft Refuseniks, in incarceration, and sometimes punished with solitary confinement. But how many of us  really paid enough serious attention to their plight, serious enough to do something meaningful?  Does it not behoove us to take their plight to heart, which we clearly should have been doing long before the term COVID was coined? Many would see this as fitting the "Middah Keneged Middah" ("measure for measure") profile delineated by Rashi on Brochos 5a ("Pish'paish") and Ru'ach Chaim on Pirkei Avos (4:14). Moreover, even if it doesn't fit that criteria, fulfilling our individual and communal obligations to these self-sacrificing individuals is something undeniably incumbent on us, regardless.

Unfortunately, instead of focusing on standing by those standing between Jewish girls and massive immoral and antireligious persecution by the Israeli Army, some of us are allowing ourselves to be largely distracted with Corona related issues, as important as some of them are. This must change if we are to save the next generation of Jewish mothers from an open declaration of spiritual war being waged by the Israeli government and military establishment. We cannot continue to abandon those standing strong against the ever- escalating drafting of girls, and increasingly religious girls. We can expect one result from such ongoing obliviousness to their plight: an intensification of our own R"L. 

And we can surely perform far better than we are. Moreover, in recent months, Israeli media [e.g. Ynet] has been reporting multiple stories on the ongoing Army crusade against religious girls in particular. Chotam, an Israeli, rightwing Mizrachi-type organization, has been active in publicizing these reports. We thus have more than ample material to substantiate our claims. Right now, concered individuals have unprecedented opportunities to expose the sheer evil of the Israeli Army crusade against the next generation of Jewish mothers.  "Middah Tovah Merubah;" there is so much we could accomplish by simply publicizing the multitude of relevant news reports coming out of Israel, as widely as possible.

It's in the merit of righteous women that the Final Redemption will arrive (Sefer Kav HaYashar 82). We now have an enviable opportunity to share in that indescribable merit. How could we ever live with ourselves knowing what we willingly passed up?

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