Israel Must Integrate Ultra-Orthodox
Akiva Eldar writes that Israel is being distracted from the real ultra-Orthodox issue: Integration into civil society is more urgent than being drafted into the army.
The two texts I cite below were written rather recently by ultra-Orthodox Jews. The first is an opinion piece by Knesset Member Israel Eichler of the Yahadut HaTorah party. It appeared on the “BeHadrei Haredim” website under the title, “God Will Settle the Score with Anyone Who Hates the Torah.” The second consists of select quotes from an email that appeared in my Facebook mailbox. It was written by Yossi S., an ultra-Orthodox Jew who lives within the ultra-Orthodox world, but who still manages to see things differently somehow. Yossi writes that he is a loyal follower of my columns, in which I "mock the nationalism, zealotry, and arrogance that consume every positive aspect of Israel.” The difference between these two texts sheds some light on a murky corner of the debate surrounding what is called “sharing the burden.”
This is what Knesset Member Eichler wrote:
