During the period when the 'Conscription Law' was passed in the Knesset, I found myself often using the description "elephant in a china shop," when referring to the chairman of Yesh Atid, Minister Yair Lapid.
I thought, and I still think, that the move he led - a move that supposedly claimed to lead to change in the nation and solve once and for all the heavy question of equality in burden - was carried out in an 'unwise' way, to put it mildly.
Until the latest draft law, the integration of the Haredim into the army and civil service was carried out in a gradual manner, operating by virtue of the Tal Law - which was supported by the M'Bini Dwar. The law was launched with the assumption that the integration would not be done in a 'bang and we're done' manner, that it was a gradual process.
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One can argue whether its result, in terms of integrating the Haredim, was satisfactory, whether they waited patiently enough to examine the results. But one cannot argue with the fact that a significant number of Haredim have begun to find their way onto the various integration paths.
The failure of the Tal Law: It's not just the ultra-Orthodox who are to blame
It wasn't enough, not only because of the ultra-Orthodox, who didn't want to integrate. Some of them did. Among them, those who couldn't sit and study for long hours every day in the kollel, or those who had to go out and support their families.
The state was unable to allocate enough resources, and even then-Knesset MK Yohanan Plesner spoke about this in advance, admitting to me that there were not enough budgets and resources for the issue - and that was a shame.
Bottom line: On the day the High Court ruled that the Tal Law should be replaced with a better law, the parties in the Knesset entered into a dizzying race. At first it was Kadima, about which one could almost say he was a Z"l, later Yair Lapid picked up the gauntlet, which became the flag of his party.
This is precisely the flag (perhaps just one of the flags) that will also lead to a rebuke, even if not a complete one. For he did it in the most incorrect way possible.
That's exactly what I usually say about him: he acted like an elephant entering a china shop, and instead of choosing an item for himself, he simply destroyed everything around him.
Why did I remember this this week?
Last Wednesday, a meeting of the Council of Torah Scholars was held in Jerusalem. The rebbes, the spiritual leaders of Agudat Israel - the Hasidic part of United Torah Judaism - gathered around one table. On the agenda, among other things: the draft law, and the question of whether to allow young men to cooperate with the IDF and report for the 'first order', in which they announce that they wish to postpone their military service due to their studies in a yeshiva.
The representative of the Haredi community, Hidu Weiss, came to this meeting. The Haredi community, as everyone knows, does not take anything from the state. These extremist elements have always claimed: breaking tools. They do not show up, and voila, they will arrest everyone in prison 6. We will demonstrate, we will set the state on fire.
The moderate elements say: We will stand up legally, we will try to manage the process with the military elements.
The army, which feared the extremist elements would take over, rushed to hand the Haredi MKs a letter of surrender, including a promise that yeshiva boys would report 'to the meeting'. On separate days, without female soldiers in the field. This should have been implemented much earlier, but there is no political entity to tell the army what to do, so the ACA finds itself at the forefront of such a weighty question: How do you not stir up extremism in Haredi society, but allow the sane to remain sane.
At the end of the meeting, a proclamation was issued with an unequivocal instruction: It is forbidden to cooperate with all kinds of military programs, including Shahar.
Thank you, Yair
Good for you, Yair Lapid. If we've already seen bearded men do military service and continue on to the job market, you've nailed that too.
And thank you. In the name of the people, who think that their economy needs ultra-Orthodox working hands, and are ready to come forward, to adapt the integration and employment options to the spirit of the sector.
Thank you, on behalf of the yeshiva students who were unable to sit down and study, and thought it would be better for them to integrate. 'Thanks to you,' they will take to the streets, idle away, and not do anything serious with themselves for their livelihood and that of their families.
Only because you had to show your potential voters that you 'take care of the Haredim.' You starved their children, those you did allow to be included in the student quota. By the way, I have one such child, starving, who has to leave the yeshiva just to buy himself some cookies. From the money of the mother who works, pays taxes, and also pays for the yeshiva.
With your cuts, there isn't enough food for all the students.
Only because you have to show your potential voters that you are taking care of the Haredim and bringing them to the Knesset with 'force' and sanctions.
Just because you don't understand that force achieves nothing against a believing religious force; just because you didn't listen to the voices that begged you, don't play into the hands of the extremists.
• From things said on Guy Zohar's show, on Radio 103
