“We Have No Other Country” – The Israeli Minorities Proud to Serve their Country - by Amit Barak

“We are Zionists and serve Israel with pride” – Former SLA members, Druze, Bedouin and Muslims from Jerusalem at a special event for Israel’s 70th anniversary spoke of the real coexistence in Israel

Amit Barak..
MiDA..
12 June '18..

In recent years we are witnessing a process of awakening among Christians in Israel, as well as among members of other minorities, who are speaking out and acting against the prevailing attitude in the Arab sector and against the systemic fixation of the authorities in Israel.

This can be seen in the historical process of integration into Israeli society and enlistment in the IDF and National Service, in which more and more Arab-speaking Christians are taking part. It is also seen in a redefining of Christians, who shed their Arab identity and adopt the historical Aramaic identity and Israeli identity. Even among young leaders and activists in the Bedouin community and in the Arab sector, Israeli identity as a definition is gradually taking its place and these voices are becoming public.

Military service is the ticket into Israeli society, but the initiatives do not stop there and that is a good thing. Christians, Bedouins, Arab Muslims and Druze can now be seen in the forefront of public diplomacy efforts and the struggle against anti-Semitism and the delegitimization of Israel. For example, the “Reservists on Duty” organization, which organizes the extraordinary activities of Israeli minorities on campuses in the United States and Europe.



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Father Gabriel Nadaf, Israel’s Embattled Pro-Israel Priest

Is there a basis, then, for Father Nadaf’s optimism? Are his statements about a “large pool of conscripts” among Christian Arabs who see themselves as “part of [Israel] in every sense of the word” accurate in light of the fury his efforts have evoked? There would be no way to know without, perhaps, a specific polling of Israel’s Christian Arab community... But the issue is important in terms of Father Nadaf’s efforts to achieve comity and his courage — unfortunately rare — in publicly giving credit to Israel for its decent treatment of minorities in a region where persecution is the keynote. Sometimes rays of light break through the darkness.

P. David Hornik..
PJMedia.com..
08 July '13..

There’s a movement afoot to encourage Israeli Christian Arabs to serve in the Israeli army. The movement is led by a group called The Forum for Drafting the Christian Community. It includes Christian army officers, soldiers, and businessmen.

At the helm of this forum stands Father Gabriel Nadaf, a Greek Orthodox priest in the town of Yafia near Nazareth. For his efforts, though, Father Nadaf is under fierce fire from elements of Israel’s Christian Arab community and its Arab community in general.

Arabs are exempt from army service in Israel except for the small, non-Muslim, Arabic-speaking Druze and Circassian communities. Some Bedouin Muslims also volunteer to serve. Israel’s Christian Arab community numbers about 130,000, or about 10 percent of the larger Arab community that is mostly Muslim. For decades, Israel’s Christian Arabs more or less subscribed to the Muslim Arabs’ ambivalent-to-hostile attitude toward Israel as a state.

But those were the days of pan-Arabism, an ideology that sought to unite the Middle East’s diverse Arab communities under a common, secular, Arabic-speaking banner. Eventually pan-Arabism succumbed to today’s Islamic trend — and one result has been severe persecution of Christians throughout the Middle East and their massive flight from Muslim-majority countries.

That leaves Israel’s Christian Arab community as the only one in the region that is actually growing. Father Nadaf, in recent statements to Israeli media (see reports here and here), shows an appreciation of the reality:

We want young Christians to become totally integrated into Israeli society, which also entails shouldering their fair share of the burden of national service. Our future as a Christian minority is intertwined with that of the State of Israel.… We feel secure in Israel…. Most of the young Christians here view Israel as their country.

The efforts of Father Nadaf and his forum are bearing fruit. In recent months 90 Christian Arab high school graduates have enlisted to serve in the Israeli army — a small number, but a threefold increase over 2010.

Father Nadaf says:

In the Christian community, there is a large pool of potential conscripts. Most of the community members see themselves as Israelis. We are part of this society in every sense of the word…. This is a genuine feeling. They want to contribute and they want to receive. This is what the young Christians want, and I’m talking about most of them.

There is, though, a much darker side to the reality.

Most of the Christian Arab soldiers, reports The Times of Israel, remove their uniform before coming home on leave. Official Israeli Arab bodies and Israeli Arab members of the Knesset fiercely oppose either military or civilian service. Hanan Zoabi, a Muslim woman member of the Knesset who can only be called an anti-Israel activist, accuses Father Nadaf of “endangering Christian youth, separating them from their people and turning them into their people’s enemy, thereby helping their true enemies.”

Greenfield - Israel's War of Words

Daniel Greenfield..
Sultan Knish..
23 July '12..



(While not agreeing 100% on all the points raised, there is not likely to be a better analysis of the varied interests and trends within Israel concerning mandatory national service, a complex topic, an excellent summation. Y.)

If you read the headlines, the biggest issue in Israel isn't Iran's nuclear program or Syria's chemical weapons falling into the hands of Hezbollah or the Muslim Brotherhood; it's how to draft Haredim, widely referred to as Ultra-Orthodox Jews, into the army.

Until recently, the Israeli left was feverishly complaining about the surplus of Religious Nationalist Jews in the army and the threat of religious fanaticism. Now it's back to complaining that there aren't enough Ultra-Orthodox religious fanatics in the army, after spending last year complaining that the ones in the army were too fanatical and the ones on buses were even worse.

Religious Nationalists in the army are a problem, because many of them are patriots and not too enthusiastic about giving up land to terrorists. The Ultra-Orthodox don't care about the country or how much land it has, which makes them ideal recruits from the left's point of view. Unfortunately, they don't actually want to join the army.

The left's ideal recruit doesn't care about the country and mechanically follows orders to ethnically cleanse Jewish towns and villages. But, unfortunately, that ideal recruit would rather be playing guitar in Tel Aviv or studying the Talmud in Jerusalem than patrolling the frontier and fighting terrorists. The leftist sons and daughters of the idle rich want to protest at checkpoints in between parties, not serve at them, and, while Haredim will mechanically follow orders, those orders won't come from the military, its political generals or an activist Supreme Court.

IMRA - Sacrifice of IDF Service Not Comparable To Volunteer Service

Dr. Aaron Lerner..
IMRA Weekly Commentary..
19 July '12..

"He who is commanded and fulfills [the command], is greater than he who fulfills it though not commanded."

R. Hanina - Babylonian Talmud Kiddushin 31a

There is a very basic and fundamental difference between the “sacrifice” Israelis make who serve in the IDF and those who engage in other activity - no matter how noble the activity.

And that is the “sacrifice” of freedom by those who serve in the IDF.

A few simple contrasts:

A soldier who doesn’t show up at his base can end up in jail.

A yeshiva student who doesn’t show up at his yeshiva faces only whatever disciplinary measures the institution applies. And of course, the yeshiva student can always decline to accept the punishment.

A sick soldier needs to get permission to stay in bed.

A sick yeshiva student can simply stay home.

A soldier who doesn’t like his unit or his commander can apply for a transfer. But unless and until his request is approved he is stuck with his unit and commander. The alternative – again – is jail.

A yeshiva student who doesn’t like his yeshiva may face social costs if he changes institutions – but the choice remains in his hands.

Jodi Rudoren (NYT) on National Service in Israel: News Fit to Frame

Gilead Ini..
CAMERA Media Analysis..
13 July '12..





In her front page story today about a volunteer national service program in Israel, New York Times reporter Jodi Rudoren notes that "62 percent of the Arab public backed the program."

It is curious, then, that 82 percent of the article's quoted words from Arabs are spoken against national service. (This figure actually understates the disproportion. It does not take into account the two Israeli professors who highlight only perspectives against national service, nor does it include the quoted words of posters that likewise argue against the program.)

The problem here is not that Rudoren provides fake quotes. Of course she doesn't. It's an issue of framing. Even though most Arabs in Israel support national service, the piece is written in a way that leaves readers with an overwhelming and predominant sense of Arab opposition to the program.

Readers hear from a single young Arab girl, Nagham Ma’abuk, who supports and participates in the national service program. But her voice gets lost in a staccato of statements by opponents of integration and national service: Ehab Helo comes out against integration with the state. Radical Arab parliamentarian Hanin Zoabi jumps on the opportunity to level sharp words agaist national service, and against Israel as a whole. Four teenagers express that they are "against, against, against and against" the program. Rozeen Kanboura adds another "against." And Ayan Abunasra makes her "articulate" case in opposition to the program.

Did the Torah really intend for some Israelis to give their lives to the country and for others to be exempt?

David Stav..
Israel Hayom..
08 July '12..

Much to its detriment, Israel's Torah has recently been dragged into a heated debate that is sending shock waves throughout the country. Israeli society is divided over the issue of drafting haredi (ultra-Orthodox) yeshiva students to the Israel Defense Forces. There are those who claim that the calls to share the burden of service more equally are simply an attack on the world of the Torah, while others argue that touting the importance of Torah study is no more than a cover story to facilitate mass draft dodging.

Meanwhile, under the public radar, several members of ultra-Orthodox parties proposed legislation that would exempt haredi synagogues and yeshivot (religious schools) from the obligation to ensure accessibility for the handicapped. This is in stark contrast to other public institutions, which are required by law to provide such access. The bill has already been approved in its first reading.

The Torah stands on the sidelines and screams out "how long will my name continue to be used in vain?" Did the Torah really intend for some Israelis to give their lives to the country and for others to be exempt? Does the commandment of Joshua, who led the Jewish people after Moses died, to liberate the land of Israel not apply to Torah scholars?

When the 12 tribes of Israel reached the banks of the Jordan on the east side of the river and the tribes of Reuben and Gad asked to stay on that bank outside the land, Moses asked them, "Shall your brethren go to the war, and shall ye sit here?" (Numbers 32:6). When he said this, did Moses consider giving exemptions to yeshiva students? Would it not be more appropriate to take the example of King David, who when he would sit to study Torah would soften like a caterpillar, but when he went out to battle, would make himself "hard like a tree?"

Stern - Things You Don't Want Your Kids to Know

Paula R. Stern..
A Soldier's Mother..
27 February '12..



I had a discussion with Shmulik this morning. Our routines have settled into a nice pattern where he drives me to work two or three times a week. He takes the car to his yeshiva, and then we go home together. As he was speaking, I wished I could record what he was saying. So many things I want to tell you about and as he continued, it switched to so many things I wish he didn't know. There is a wisdom there in his words, a clarity in his youth. He is married and yet still I see him as the boy he was, as well as the man he has become. He sees the world, I thought to myself, more than we want them to see.

He started with one thing and then got to the other. The first was interesting; the second broke my heart a bit. So the first. There is a problem in Israel, a division of society that runs deep. On one side of the divide, there is the misconception that Ultra-Orthodox Jews are backwards, warped, left behind in the 18th century, perhaps in Poland or the Russia of pogroms. On the other side, there are people who see a world that they do not want to live in, do not want their children to know. For the most part, they are not nearly as materialistic as much of the world. The Ultra-Orthodox Jews to whom I am related are modest people who live in small apartments, work to raise their children and invest in them - not with computers and modern toys, but with time and love and attention.

Their children are so incredibly polite and though they run and play as all children do, there is a sense of caring and responsibility. Older children care for the younger ones and yes, part of that is necessity. When there are nine children in a family, the older ones learn quickly that they have to help - and they do.

For the most part, the Ultra-Orthodox are warm, family-oriented people who believe they have found a way to make life mean more and want to pass this on to their children and yes, protect their culture and their children from things that would infringe on the lives and communities they have built. They believe they have the right - and don't they really? - to choose what of this world they will bring into their lives and what they feel would be better to leave out.

A question of equality

Seth J. Frantzman
Terra Incognita/JPost
31 May '11

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=223068


Why the Knesset should pass the civil service bill giving job preference to those who have completed either military or national service.

There is a mentality in Israel among certain sectors on the Left and among those who lead the various human and civil rights lobbies that any benefit given to former soldiers is a form of hidden discrimination against Arab citizens. As such, the proposed civil service bill being considered by the Knesset, which would provide discharged soldiers priority for civil service jobs, is already under attack. The bill stipulates that when there are two equal candidates and one completed national or military service, he or she would get preference for the job opening.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, one of the largest human rights lobbies, claimed “the bill discriminates against ethnic minorities and other individuals who are legally exempt from military service (e.g., religious women, Arab citizens of Israel, disabled people) and stands in contradiction to the value of equal access to employment.”

Furthermore, ACRI claims that “the Ministry of Justice, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, and even the legal advisers of the Knesset Constitution Committee – have all voiced their opposition to this bill.”

Avirama Golan wrote in a recent oped that “the MKs will have to examine the extent to which the proposal undermines the constitutional right to equality.” Golan also claims that Ethiopian and haredi women in particular will be discriminated against.

It is interesting that these voices consider it unequal to give people benefits for serving in the army, but consider it equal to ask only certain citizens to serve. Why does the right to equality in Israel vanish the day Druse men and non-haredi Jewish men and women reach the age of 18 and then suddenly reappear when they are 22? While these Druse and Jews are conscripted, their peers who do not serve may go to college or get jobs and learn skills that that make them more qualified in access to employment. This fact in itself constitutes a violation of right to “equal access to employment.”

Every time one condemns a law that grants benefits to those who do military and national service, one implicitly supports inequality.

My Israel

Paula R. Stern
A Soldier's Mother
07 January '11

(While this was from last erev-Shabbat, I just couldn't let it pass by. Y)

Sometimes in all the rush of describing my life as a soldier's mother, I forget to describe one of the fundamental, constants in my life. It is an interesting day with so much going on. I'm developing a cold...I hate being sick. My oldest daughter is sick, and I hate that too. We have plans for Saturday night - on two fronts. Our Davidi turned 15 and we want to share that event with the more extended family. Secondly, our son-in-law has decided to go into the army.

For the last few years, he's been on a side program for learning. Many, too many, in Israel decide for one reason or another to avoid the army. I would say there are as many secular Jews in Israel that avoid the army as there are very religious ones. But too often, it is only the religious Jews that receive the brunt of the criticism for this decision.

For years, I felt that at very least, the very religious were replacing the army service with another kind of service - praying for the land and our well-being. The longer Elie served, the harder this concept became for me and I don't think I was very good at hiding this at all. I believe we all live in this land; we all benefit from what it has to offer. If you are capable of serving and choose not to, that brings into question your right to be here. I don't care what kind of service you do - whether it be in the army, the national service, or some other organization.

(Read full "My Israel")

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Yeshiva Study Not Comparable To National Service

Dr.Aaron Lerner
IMRA
Weekly Commentary
05 August '10

It’s a simple and fundamental difference:

Those serving in national service sacrifice their freedom during the course of that service.

Those who permanently defer service don’t.

And that sacrifice of freedom exists even for those in the cushiest positions in national service.

What sacrifice of freedom?

In national service you are instructed where to go, what to do and when to do it. And you can end up in jail if you don’t follow those instructions.

In national service you can’t unilaterally opt out of a particular assignment or arrangement.

And in national service, you face the exposure that you might even be punished for poor performance doing something that you didn’t even want to do in the first place.

And, of course, in national service when a third party instructs you to take risks; the consequences of declining to obey the order could be jail.

That’s not to say that those permanently deferring national service aren’t making sacrifices as they devote their lives to Torah study.

But it is sacrifices they decided to make within frameworks of their choosing.

At the simplest of level: in contrast to national service, the sanctions they may face if they choose, in defiance of their superiors, to go to place “X” at time “Y” do not include incarceration.

The purpose of this observation is not to take a stand on permanent deferments.

It’s only to ask that those advocating permanent deferments recognize the special sacrifice made by those who do national service.

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[Israeli University age requirement level playing field] About 5,000 Israeli Arabs studying at Jordanian universities

Dr. Aaron Lerner
IMRA
07 November 09

[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: Israeli universities apply an entrance age requirement so that those who don't serve in the army or do national service aren't rewarded with being able to attend university while others are in national service. It still doesn't level the playing field since they can spend this time studying and retaking the Israeli matriculation and "psychometric" (an equivalent of the American SAT) tests to improve their scores [entrance to almost all programs at Israeli universities are based purely on these scores] while those serving the country find themselves taking or re-taking these critical tests after not having been in a classroom for years. This while the testing schedule for the matriculation exams [which in some cases is only once a year with the results available too late for application for the academic year] can mean losing another year after completion of national service .]

Increasing numbers of Israeli Arabs studying at Jordanian universities
By Ofri Ilani Haaretz Last update - 04:40 01/11/2009
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1124913.html

Increasing numbers of Israeli Arab high school graduates are leaving the country to study at Jordanian universities, according to a recent survey. A decade ago fewer than 100 Arab Israelis were studying at Jordanian institutions of higher learning, but last year this swelled to about 5,000.

According to the study, sponsored by Dirsat: The Arab Center for Law and Policy, a major reason for the phenomenon is age requirements in many departments at Israeli universities, as well as the language barrier.

When Maria Shalash of the largely Arab city of Nazareth graduated from high school two years ago, she wanted to study occupational therapy and communication disorders. "The field interested me, and people also told me that there were jobs [in the field]," she said.

Shalash tried to gain a place at the University of Haifa and was invited for an interview. But the university later discovered she was under 20, which disqualified her. She is now studying law, where there is no minimum-age requirement.
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