As long as haredi men pay their duties to the country in the National Service, I think majority of issues and antagonism will go away.

Hold on a minute. You say that the IDF would have to adapt to the haredim, well, does the IDF ask if someone is haredim or not before they save a person? i think not. It is the Haredim who need to serve Israel rather than bleeding it dry.

Correct! It makes a lot more sense to say that some shouldn't serve (and shame on them) than to say that the IDF, defending 5 million Jews from existential threats from within and without, needs to worry whether or not a particular soldier's every minute of every day is halachich. DEFEND THE NATION! That's quite a lot and quite enough!

An excellent op-ed though it should be mentioned that there is a program for young married chareidi men which seems to manage very well. True these young men are not combat soldiers but all the same they are serving a need within the IDF.

All these articles always show pictures ultra-ultra orthodox. The truth is the orthodox community is very diverse. Some are more suited for the army than others. Some are more committed to study and some are more committed to work and perhaps the army. I find all the stereotyping distasteful.

Correct, not everyone is well suited for Military service. However, the haredi can't just have it easy. It's not fair to the rest of us who have to pay taxes, do service and still find time for school, career, life. You can't be in the service, eh? Fine, but we'll put you to work building the infrastructure of our land. Enough with the religious victimization. Hamas doesn't care if you're religious or not.

Israel is going to need every gunhand on deck. These people should, at least, be made to train, for any inevitability, so they can protect their own communities. Their small status is still an important part of the collective whole. Every bullet counts; therefore, sympathy for their situation can still be addressed without endangering everyone else who is different from them.

Our history RELIED on RELIGIOUS ARMIES which originally created Israel. To simply give them a pass with some overly emotional tyrad is absurd. YES: there should be a SEPERATE, E TIRELY RELIGOUS BATTALION created within the IDF. For a RELIGOUS Jew to fight for the survival of it's own people is a HUGE mitzvah and entails beautifully crafted Halacha which empowers such men on unparalleled levels. Dovid Hamelech was a warrior as was Avraham Avinu, Moshe Rabennu and Joshuah! It's insane to let the Haredim sit out imperatives like military service and its simply NOT DO-ABLE FOR ISRAEL! The Druze have their own brigades, SO SHOULD THE HARADIM. Under such circumstances I am positive the haradim would be perhaps the most formidable fighting force of all and reveal levels of ingenuity that would blow peoples minds and surely make Israel safer. There....there's what is almost always what is missing in Israel: A SOLUTION instead of emotionally charged rants and kvetching. Just do it! Form a religious brigade for the haradim! Enough nonsense already!

Firstly: The role of the IDF in Israeli society isn't just to protect us from our enemies. It also has a no less important social aspect, that unites Israelis from all walks of life and binds together an otherwise completely heterogeneous society. Therefore it is in our national interest to have everyone enlist, even if they can't always finish the service, or don't do anything especially important. Secondly: When you have a few people not joining, the ones who do join might look at them funny. If you have a huge portion of the population not join on the other hand, the ones who join and give three of the best years they have, ask the legitimate question: why me? Why can't I study and/or start a family early? Combined with the fact that many Haredim also don't work, it's not fair in any way to the seculars who bear the burden. In short, a solution must be found that lets everyone share the burden.

I see no reason why the haredi element can't be excused. They are a leech anyway (in large numbers), so why complicate a machine like the Army with unneccessary clogs? If the North-Telavivians can skip the service I guess I can live with the poor Followers of the Voice in the Sky doing the same.

Haredim (or anybody of similar inclination) cannot be told "You must enlist! And you must renounce your value system. You must enlist! And you must listen to women sing even if it compromises your ethical beliefs. You must enlist! And you must interact with female soldiers even if it violates your sense of morality. (i.e. - their civil rights are more valuable than yours.) You must enlist! And you must shave during the sefirah even if it constitutes a rejection of your belief system. You must enlist! And your value system must be identical to ours for it to be valid and respected". The army has to decide whether it wants religious soldiers or not. My guess? It doesn't really want them, but still wants to be able to hold it against them.

They were bring to the rank forcefully but they did eventually comply. Even if another Altalena is needed, Haredim will comply too. Eventually the muslim Brotherhood will take over in every Israel's arab neighbors and when it happens EVERY jewish male physically capable of serving its 3 years conscription will have to be drafted. Those still refusing should pack their bags and leave for good.

"and enable people to contribute to Israeli society in other ways." After 63 years we are still waiting for them to contribute in other ways...

Serving in the military organization requires the ability to accept orders and comport oneself in an acceptable manor. The ultra-orthodox are conditioned to a certain way of behavior which very much limits their ability to accept orders and have a different view of what is acceptable than others. They will only disrupt the smooth functioning of the military not only is the female voice a problem but many other issues such as first aid for women and accepting orders from a female. There needs to be a alternate way for the ultra-orthodox to contribute to the national well being such as community service for example.

a secular, a leftist, a rightist, a zionist, a national religious, a traditional, everybody has. So, why the haredim dont have to? As far as I see they recive money from the state, they get protected by the army and so on? I think to say: "The army has to change that I can fulfill my duty too" the most lame excuse to denie the service I have ever heard...sorry! Thats just not fair, just to get from the state and nothing to give back! Just lame! Sorry for my harsh words...

The Torah clearly states that every man of twenty years old must go to the army.MUST go . Of course ,that does not include the disabled etc.

than haridi jews..

doing National Service like the charedim! Think of ZAKA, HATZALAH, YAD SARAH, YAD ELIEZER, the numerous charity funds, free kitchens, free medical clinics, all serving the general public ! So it`s not just the army where you can contribute to society!

Nonsense scenario!

Amnon Levy seems not to know what is happening. My sons and son in laws have been in the army and they are charedi. I have one son in law now in the army in a special program for charedim. It seems that the army realizes but does not publicize the fact that the charedim have indeed very highly developed minds even though they did not study secular subjects. So they offer special programs for them in order that the army can reap the benefit of creative minds.

The issue is not "secular" or "religious" but patriotism. Any Jew, secular or religious should serve in the defense force of the Jewish nation-state and contribute to the wellbeing of Israel.

First you complain about the Haredim not contributing to the State of Israel by not enlisting in the army. And when they actually do so, you complain about them trying to impose their standards on the IDF which is further from the truth. I think you are just looking for an excuse to rag on the haredim. If you are not interested in Jewish principles and values, then why do you do coverages on the practitioners?

B"H You forget, my dear secular and secularist friends, that there is no point whatsoever in "defending Israel" if it's without Torah. The larger and ultimate purpose of us being here is to be Hashem's holy people and to be seen as such by the nations.

I ask since you say there is "no point whatsoever in "defending Israel" if it's without Torah". Really! So secular Jews don't deserve to be defended and trying to keep them from being murdered en mass by Jihadists because they choose not to be religious is a waste of time? And you wonder why talkbackers bash the Haredim??

I can't believe that after all the belly aching that the secular have done about the lack of contribution of the hareidim to the State in terms of military service and work ethic that you are now writing this. If the hareidim are not integrated into Israeli society this country will become Iran and people like you will be the first to jump ship to Europe and the US.

country between the hareidim and secular draft dodgers? Maybe Moshe will just come and clap his stick on the ground and make the Arabs go away?

And you forget my fellow settler friend forget that we are not allowed to rely on miracles. We are not allowed to sit in our tents and learn Torah while the nations of the world come to destroy us. Where's the middle ground?

Well, this country is fucked up real bad. I had give away 3 years of my life, for NOTHING, when some elements, and a lot of them simply do not have to serve. This country is evil it's people, it exploits them in a most cinical way possible Just look at the recent protests ( doctors, regular people against the cost of living and single mothers a few years ago ). Just goes to show that israel is falling apart. Once I finish a few things, I'm out of here, gonna be living in a normal country, that doesn't tax the hell out of you just to fund a huge bunch of wankers in a big lobby in the goverment!

Charedim are not bad people; they are insulated. proper education and acceptance of them as Jews would solve this. sadly, secularists hate those with Jewish persuasion and intolerant religious folk hate secularists- get some national pride.