Jerusalem – Earlier this week I took a cab, and before I had a chance to stare out the window and fake deep interest in highway signs – a well-known hint that I want to be left alone – the taxi driver started talking. “You’re ultra-Orthodox,” he said. I nodded, hoping to end the conversation right there. After all, what do haredi women know about the Wall Street crisis? (They were talking about it on the radio at the time.)
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Yet to my regret, my hopes were premature. “What do you think about this woman?” the driver asked, and passed over to me an old copy of Yedioth Ahronoth from last week. “Is she bored or what?” he added, pointing to the photo of Sima Zalmanov hugging her 19th child.
I didn’t need to hear anything else to get upset. “Do you even know her?” I said. “Did you ever speak to her? She’s a smart woman, with university education, but you think she’s problematic just because she has too many children in your view?”
“Look,” the driver tried to defend himself. “If the ultra-Orthodox were serving in the army and working, I wouldn’t care. But as they don’t do those things, they should not be making children at our expense.” At that point, I was seeing red. “She is a high school principal, and her husband is a member of the security forces. Did you approve it now? Her personal decision contributes to the Jewish demographic balance in the State of Israel. It’s too bad that instead of thanking her you’re making her out to be a freak.”
If we listen to Tel Aviv taxi drivers, the Israeli public is still a captive to old slogans that are no longer relevant. In their view, today too the IDF is supposed to get us out of trouble. Yet there’s one “tiny problem” about this. Many of us forget that for many years now the IDF is being restrained by the sour expression of some kind of European minister or another, and any legitimate operation requires “permission from above,” “international understanding,” “global consensus,” or however you wish to call it. Money is also not the solution for surviving in the Middle East’s hostile environment. The rule of a wealthy minority is doomed for failure. They attempted this method unsuccessfully in South Africa – Jews are hated, and wealthy Jews are hated even more.
What will ultimately guarantee our existence in the Middle East in the next 100 years is, hold tight, the ultra-Orthodox; the only sector willing to pay the real price for living in this country and promote the national interest of all of us – a country with a Jewish majority. If it wasn’t for those large families, Jerusalem would have a good chance of seeing an Arab mayor elected in the upcoming elections. Moreover, the Knesset would have turned into an Arab institution with a Jewish minority a long time ago. It appears that while worrying about the economic burden and the security burden, we forgot a simple fundamental rule – majority rules.
With all the pain this entails, one bi-national state will become a certainty in the future if we keep on having 1.6 children per family. Indeed, it isn’t easy to raise 19 children while pursuing a magnificent career – Sima Zalmanov can tell you all about it. And indeed, those who know Sima can tell you that she’s unique. However, we should note, even if this is unpleasant to hear, that one or two children per family are not enough for a people fighting for survival.
This is not about issuing decrees or establishing organizations that condemn “birth refusal.” I’m not in favor of forcing anyone to take part in the national mission of guaranteeing a Jewish majority around here. “Be fruitful and multiply” comes on a volunteer basis only, because children should be made with love, or not made at all. Yet if there’s one sector here that has honorably met the challenge, why isn’t it cited or appreciated?
Forget this made-up word charedim, its the torah true jews, the families of 10+ who live in Yehuda and Shomron also, it aint just the ultra group. Not even sure that Sima and husband call themselves “Charedim”, they are more comfortable with other labels. Torah true, torah true, and many torah true women would know how to speak to this taxi driver in the “way of pleasantness”.
When enough productive people leave israel in disgust, the charedim will be in trouble if not enough outsiders respond to their shnorring to keep the bench warmers happy.
As a resident of Karnei shomron, a mother of 14 kids, all frum, all in yeshiva, and all in the army I detest anyone who says that I have not done my share as a Israely citizen and as a jew . And thank hashem we are well off financialy and we dont have any goverment support whatsovever. Shabath shalom
“children should be made with love, or not made at all”
Huh? The “making” of children, as this woman so crassly put it, requires THREE, not TWO partners, and the Third Partner has veto power.
no way am I supporting the state of israel who’s secular to all regards but I do give the credit to those frum soldiers serving to protect hopefully not the state but the yiddin
Yeshivat hesder does both. raise large families AND join the army and be financialy productive. Having babies is not an entitlement for men not to work for an honest living. Besides, last time I checked it isn’t the chareidi men having the dozen plus babies.
What supports all of Klal Yisroel is those that learn Torah. They are the ones that cause Hashem Yisborach to watch over us and protect us.
The IDF philosophy is one of charuvei karta, those that destroy the city. The chovos helevovos says that anything that we trust in outside of Hashem will be destroyed. We see this before our eyes on a constant basis with the IDF lately unfortunately. They are misled and enemy civilians are more important than innocent Jewish soldiers lives because of Asa Kasher’s ethics that provide the rules of engagement.
May Hashem bless and protect the innocent soldiers that valiantly fight for Israel. However, our trust should be in Hashem and not the army or the corrupt political leaders.
Correct, those learning torah and at the same time are members of the IDF are the true shlichei Hashem defending us. whereas the shavavnikim in jerusalem eating sunflower seeds and raizins from the pocket of the caftan and feed off the generous israeli and us public are the bain of our generation. At the very least had they held a job they wouldn’t be throwing acid in the face of teenage girls or sitting on women while others beat her.
I say all Jews are important, be it the one serving in the army and the one learning Torah, the one doing both and the one doing neither but works hard to try to raise a family. A day will come (if Moshiach doesn’t come before then) that the Prime Minister and President will be frum Yidden (title & denominmation not important) and the leaders of tzahal will also be frum Yidden. The mathematica is simple. The frei don’t get married, and if they do they get married late, they have very few children, and are the first to leave Eretz Yisroel. The majority of Jews living in Germany are Israelis! On the other hand, the frum marry, and marry early, and have a lot of children and on’t leave Eretz Yisroel. I have said this a long time ago but its signs are already being noticed as evidenced by the Yediot Achronot article.
lowlifes,
I don’t at all mean what you said.
Those that learn sincerely and do nothing else are the ones that are saving us.
At least they are not subject to being indoctrinated away from Yiddishkeit in the anti religious army. Even General Stern from Hesder wants to abolish Hesder units.
Most people can’t take a job because then they would have to go to the treif army with all its evil influences.
Nachal chareidi is the only alternative for those who want to maintain their Torah standards.
Soon there won’t be a need for Nachal Chareidi because the entire army will consist of Hesder and Nachal Chaeidi and/or those who sit and learn.
tzoorba Says:
What supports all of Klal Yisroel is those that learn Torah. They are the ones that cause Hashem Yisborach to watch over us and protect us.
next time their is a terrorist coming to attack instead of calling the police or solders I will quickly call to yeshiva to Daven more, I am sure I will be protected
What does that have to do with anything? For many years the U.S. has been importing clothing and many other things from many far away places. With the world becoming smaller these far away places are suddenly closer. It is not correct to assume that the world will continue to become smaller. As it is we don’t have enough space for all of our belongings. So let’s keep the world at its present size. If we need more room we can purchase a little at a time from those big land people that advertise in the real estate magazines in the supermarket. We don’t need fancy 5th Avenue property, just property that is centrally located with plenty of parking. Please don’t double park. Shoin.
The whole idea of an IDFis a joke today. They lose wars because they are ill prepared, get kidnapped because their officers are busy selling out stock portfolios, soldiers rape and abuse their fellow soldiers, and they are brainwashed to abuse and dive out fellow Jews from their homes.
As for chareidim not serving in the IDF what about Olmert’s kids? What about Aviv Gefen? What about El Presidente Uncle Shimmy Peres himself who never served a day in the IDF????
The secular are eating sour grapes because they see they are not fit to love here, they have no patriotism no zionism, and they want to get out. Their leaders are giving the Land away like at a fire sale! They feel no connection to this Holy Land. They want to make it another country like the goyim.
There is no aliyah of secular Jews only of Chreidim, they feel threatened!
They see their numbers dwindling as they do not replenish and many of their ranks return to Teshuva through the work of Amnion Yitzchok Mordechai Nogreshal Uri Zohar and others.
May Hashem plant thoughts of repentence in these secular losers and may they return to our ranks