rabbiofberlin: “NEVER in our history has there been a blanket exemption to anyone and- never was such a financial burden put upon the tsibbur . if you want, keep the ten batlonim and this is the one thing that we can live with.”
There are two issues here:
1)Serving in the army 2)Staying in kollel and being a so called “financial burden” on the general public.
I personally know many many chareidim in EY that work off the books in order to avoid the army. Many chareidim have jobs, some part-time, some full time. Some have cash businesses. These people are registered in kollel not to avoid taxes but to avoid the army. If it was legal to work without joining the army they would work openly. If anyone thinks it’s possible to just live off the kollel paychecks in E.Y. -They are in dreamland. Almost everyone I know [who is in kollel fulltime also has some form of other income, some more some less. [Many people sell different things from home. or do many other small things on the side, bein hasedarim or wife works etc.]The goverment “support” is a big joke. No one “lives” just on that. Purely Delusional.
So the issue of “Financial burden” can be easily be solved by allowing people to work legally even without serving in the army. [Just like the Arabs.]
I havent heard any calls to force all the Israeli Arabs [those that hold Israeli citizenship]in the army. Why? Because the secular know that the arabs would be disloyal soldiers, but they believe they could make [force] the Chareidim into seeing the “light” just like they shmad [forced] the Yeminites to become irreligious in the 1950’s.
Regarding serving in the army, many Chareidim believe it’s against Halacha [Their Rabbonim are against it.] Or they believe the army doesn’t/would’nt accomadate their religious needs, [as the army has proven many times.] The army doesn’t need [or really want] the Chareidim. The only ones that want the Chareidim in the army are the secular masses that feel “it’s unfair” So first the army should show [prove]they respect religion, [with the rulings of the chareidi Rabbonim of what is or isn’t allowed]then the working chareidim could begin discussing the army…