In an opinion piece, medical adviser Yaakov Shakul argues that the ultra-Orthodox public’s biggest failure in the conscription debate is not protest, but explanation. He says many people outside the community, including religious and observant professionals who work with Haredim every day, do not understand that the issue is felt inside homes as a real fear of arrest, not just a political dispute.
Shakul says the point became clear after a long conversation in a hospital with a doctor who was shocked to learn that his acquaintances could be detained over military draft issues. The doctor, he writes, asked whether the problem involved crime or drugs, and only later realized it was about Torah study. In the writer’s view, that ignorance shows how badly the Haredi side has failed to convey its reality.
He describes a scene on Route 6 when a flat tire left a driver afraid to call the police because he worried a routine encounter with law enforcement could turn into trouble. For Shakul, that fear shows how the draft dispute has become a daily-life issue, affecting travel, medical visits, emergency calls, and even basic safety. He stresses that he is speaking about yeshiva students who study full time, not people who are not studying.
Shakul says the broader public sees slogans, court battles, roadblocks, and political fights, but not the anxious parents, spouses, and children behind them. He calls for a shift from shouting and demonstrations to human explanation, telling Haredim to speak directly, calmly, and personally to neighbors, doctors, drivers, employers, and others outside the community. His closing message is that Torah students should not be made to feel like fugitives.
