The consensus among nearly all of the non-religious parties
competing in Israel's coming elections -- and not just the
well-known anti-religious ones -- is an overall aim to limit
the influence of the Torah-observant public in Israel in
fundamental matters of religion and state.
Chareidi public figures say that this points to the critical
significance of the current campaign, which is taking place
in the shadow of the progressive deterioration of religious
matters, especially basic issues such as conversions, the
penetration of the Reform and Conservatives into the
religious councils, and the drafting of yeshiva students. "It
is feared that all of the religious achievements will be lost
if the schemes the politicians publicly declare are,
cholila, realized. They want to embitter the lives of
the chareidim in Eretz Hakodesh and to effect a
situation in which Am Yisroel will be like all of the
other nations," say rabbonim and public figures.
The National Consensus Against Religion
The objective has been discussed openly: A coalition and a
government without chareidim.
Some parties dare not mention this in public, out of
electoral considerations since they want chareidi support in
the prime ministerial elections. But their purpose, too, is
to form a wholly secular coalition.
An examination of the various party platforms paints a grim
picture. Were these parties to succeed in realizing even part
of their intentions, whatever Jewish character (minimal as it
is) is still left in Israel, would be totally obliterated.
They are serious about achieving a very real undermining of
the inner life of the chareidi community.
No longer will we able to isolate ourselves in the four
amos of our chareidi communities. The political aim,
as reflected in the political platforms and from the
unequivocal declarations of the party heads, is cultural
aggression: to interfere in our inner life.
In some of the Leftist parties, hatred for religion
constitutes the fuel which powers their activities and
justifies their existence.
What would Meretz do without its battle against "religious
coercion"? What would Tommy Lapid look for in the Knesset, in
the absence of his struggle against the chareidim and his
provocative slogan: "They Must be Stopped"?
Lapid's entering the fray only increased the competition
between the parties for the leadership of the battle against
the chareidim. Each side now claims that it will do a better
job than its counterpart.
Center Left
If in the past we got used to anti-religious platforms
espoused only by only the small, extreme mostly-Leftist
parties, currently the situation is different. Additional
parties -- large and centrist ones -- include in their
platforms clauses which relate negatively to religious
issues. This occurs under the guise of passing all the pieces
of an Israeli constitution.
If the constitution is accepted in its proposed form, it may
result in the destruction of Jewish life in Israel. The
constitution is likely to totally abolish the minimal Jewish
character which somehow still exits in official Israel.
It is not only Yisrael Achat, with Barak's oft-repeated plans
to draft all yeshiva students, that constitutes a danger to
religious life. The Centrist party's platform also expresses
its ambition to anchor the "national consensus" into an
Israeli "constitution."
The Centrist party plans to establish a public council to
include educational, social, spiritual, religious and
judicial figures. The council will be called "Mo'etzes
Yachad." The function of "Mo'etzes Yachad" will be to find a
solution to the problem of the conscription of yeshiva
students within the time allotted by the High Court, and to
solve the problem of conversions "in the spirit of the
Ne'eman Committee." The Ne'eman Committee and its conclusions
were completely rejected by gedolei Yisroel and all
the rabbonim, across the board.
The Centrist party is heading toward Leftist positions. Its
number two candidate, Amnon Lipkin-Shachak, has declared that
he supports separation of religion and state.
Such a separation would result in the gradual erosion of
Jewish consensus and unity and the opening of the gates of
the Israeli nation to all who declare that they want to enter
it.
Shachak also said, "The chareidim constitute a problem whose
dimensions must be decreased, and it is forbidden to
establish a government dependent on them." The positions of
Roni Milo are well known, despite his recent attempts to
moderate them from electoral considerations.
Although Yitzhak Mordechai is considered traditional and does
not hide his admiration of religion. nonetheless, the
influence of Shachak and Milo place his party too, in an
uncomplimentary light.
Likud
"In the Likud, the issues of religion are interlaced
throughout the platform," the election headquarters
spokesman, Ofir Ekonis, told Yated Ne'eman. The
platform states that, "equality of the educational systems
will be assured; Chinuch Atzmai will be strengthened, and
yeshiva students will be granted conditions similar to those
of university students."
It also says that "the Government will continue in its aim to
finalize the constitution of Israel." In addition, it
supports the Ne'eman compromise.
Meretz and Shinui
These platforms pale beside those of the extreme Leftist
parties of Meretz and Lapid's Shinui. The Meretz platform
recognizes Reform and Conservative "conversions" as valid.
Meretz also has a solution for the problem of "Who is a Jew?"
and for the Law of Return, to the effect that anyone who
proves that he has an affinity to the Jewish Nation is
entitled to Israeli citizenship.
Meretz advocates the separation of religion and state, and
"the separation of religion from politics." It espouses civil
marriages, the preference of civil courts over rabbinical
courts for family laws, abolishing all religious laws, and
the abolishing of the Conversion Law and others raised in the
Knesset by religious parties.
In addition, Meretz supports the operation of all public
services on Shabbosim and holidays, including public
transportation. It is in favor of autopsies, abolishing the
Abortion Law, archaeological research, pluralistic education,
the Draft Law, and the amendment of the Bituach Leumi
allotments for children.
In the past, the leaders of Meretz spoke out against what
they called "cultist ceremonies" in educational institutions.
They were referring to prayers, limudei kodesh and the
reciting of Krias Shema by students during their
participation in memorial ceremonies held in the Polish
ghettos .
Meretz will present the "spiritual wealth of the Jewish
tradition from a pluralistic approach and will refrain from
all religious coercion or from coercion regarding the
reciting of cultist expressions."
Lapid calls for lowering of taxes by the cutting support of
the chareidim. "We must stop them," Lapid cries out in his
propaganda signs. His past, as a Holocaust survivor, doesn't
prevent him from taking initiatives reminiscent of dark days
in Jewish history.
"When a chareidi-hater like Tommy Lapid begins to calculate
the number of children in a chareidi family, and his
colleague in the party, Poraz, even proposes to restrict the
freedom of childbearing, this turns on a red light," notes
Rabbi Porush. He says that the slogan, "more money for work
and education, and not for the yeshivos" is not an empty
one.
The Right
Other parties' platforms also contain dangerous issues. The
leader of the Ichud Haleumi party, Benny Begin, for example,
spoke out in favor of the Reform. Tzomet speaks about freedom
from dependence on the chareidi parties. Russian parties are
fighting for the granting of citizenship to non-Jewish
immigrants. Sharansky even demands that his party be given
control of the Interior Ministry, in order to deal with the
problems of the immigrants. Barak tends to declare his
support for this, evidently to receive immigrant votes.
One of the principles of Barak's campaign aims to incite
immigrants against the chareidim. The immigrants are told
things such as, "The chareidim receive fat budgets for the
religious councils, and you are left with crumbs." They are
also told, "They disgrace you and make it hard for you to
marry. . ."
Rabbi Meir Porush
Rabbi Meir Porush notes over and over again that these
elections are more crucial than ever.
Is there really a trend toward extremism in the platforms
of the various parties on issues of religion?
Rabbi Porush: "There have always been attempts to
incite against the chareidi community during elections. . .
But now, the wave of hatred is unprecedented."
"We must work to increase our power, without annoying
thoughts about the picture of the future coalition. It is
clear that the gedolei Yisroel will decide how and for
whom we will vote."
Next week, the election propaganda programs will begin to
appear on the electronic media. There is no doubt that the
chareidi community will be presented by some of the parties
in the most negative manner possible. The battle and the
mudslinging will only grow worse as Election Day draws
near.
