Barak angers the Orthodox with bill on draft deferments

JERUSALEM, May 11 (JTA) — With one fell swoop, Israel’s opposition leader has upped the ante in the debate over draft deferments for yeshiva students and alienated Orthodox politicians he might need in future elections. Labor leader Ehud Barak presented a bill to the Knesset speaker on Monday that would require that more fervently Orthodox men serve in the Israel Defense Force. The move drew criticism from fervently Orthodox politicians, who warned that Barak had ended any hopes of future political support from the religious parties. It is not clear when the bill will come before the legislative body. Knesset Speaker Dan Tichon said he would consult with legal advisers to see if the proposed legislation was similar to one recently presented by Tsomet Knesset member Modi Zanberg. If so, Barak’s bill would automatically be delayed for six months to conform with Knesset rules. In a move aimed at underscoring popular support for the measure, Barak was accompanied to the Knesset speaker’s office by five draft-age Israeli youths. The Labor leader said it was time that the fervently Orthodox, or haredi, population contributed its share to the defense of the state. “I feel the very strong support of soldiers and parents of soldiers who want to feel that all society is there together to defend the country,” Barak told Israel Radio. The proposed legislation comes amid growing public debate regarding the increasing number of yeshiva students seeking exemptions and deferrals from compulsory army service. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began forming a committee to deal with the issue. Barak estimated that some 3,000 exemptions or deferrals are granted annually to haredi men who cite their desire to pursue religious studies in order to avoid the draft. Under Barak’s bill, the annual number of deferrals would be limited to 700. Barak said he believed his bill would benefit the haredi community by encouraging its members to seek regular employment instead of pursuing yeshiva studies, which are supported by state subsidies. “It will help them get out of the poverty in which they are living, and give them an opportunity to keep the studying of the Torah by a few, highly gifted people, rather than masses getting out of the productive cycle of life,” Barak said of his bill. This view was rejected by Knesset member Avraham Ravitz of the fervently Orthodox United Torah Judaism bloc. Ravitz accused Barak of trying to benefit politically from the growing secular-religious rift in Israeli society. Ravitz also defended the importance of having yeshiva students pursue Torah study, which he described as the “most important thing to keep the Jewish people for our generation and coming generations.”