Haredi Leader Urges Community to Embrace National Responsibility and IDF Service
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Moti Leitner, Chairman of the Haredi Public Party, urged the ultra-Orthodox community to embrace national responsibility and recognize the importance of the IDF. He argued that Haredi society needs a strong military for its own protection and that of all Israelis. Leitner pointed to demographic trends, with Haredi students making up 34% of first-graders, as a reason for the community to consider its future role in the state. He concluded that Haredim require the IDF for security, including preventing future attacks like October 7th.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Haredi Public Party Chairman Moti Leitner called for his community to embrace national responsibility and recognize the IDF's importance.
- Leitner stated that Haredi society itself needs a strong military to protect its citizens and the entire country.
- He highlighted that Haredi students comprise 34% of first-graders, indicating their future role in the state.
- The leader stressed that the IDF protects Haredi cities and all Israeli citizens, preventing future tragedies.
- Leitner's central message was that Haredim need the IDF, rather than focusing on whether the IDF needs Haredim.
Moti Leitner, Chairman of the Haredi Public Party, has called on the ultra-Orthodox community to assume responsibility for national security and recognize the importance of military service. Speaking at a "Choosing Education" conference on Monday, Leitner argued that the Haredi public must acknowledge its dependence on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the necessity of defending the entire country, rather than focusing solely on the community's internal needs.
Leitner proposed shifting the public discourse on Haredi conscription from whether the IDF needs Haredim to why the Haredi society itself requires a strong military for its protection and that of all Israeli citizens. "We need to take responsibility, not look only at the family unit, the community, or the city where we live, but at the state," Leitner stated. He acknowledged the difficulty of adopting such a perspective within the Haredi community, where communal responsibility does not always translate to broader national responsibility.
He linked national responsibility to demographic shifts, noting that Haredi students constitute 34% of first-graders. Leitner asserted that this demographic reality necessitates the Haredi public examining its role in Israel's future, stating, "If we are 34% of first-graders, then in ten, twenty, or thirty years, we are the state."
Furthermore, Leitner emphasized the Haredi community's own security needs, highlighting that the IDF's protection extends to Haredi cities and all Israeli citizens. "For there to be someone to guard the borders, protect the Haredi cities and all cities in the State of Israel, and to prevent another October 7th, we need the IDF," he concluded. Leitner summarized his core message by distinguishing between the army's needs and the Haredi public's needs: "Instead of focusing on whether the IDF wants and needs Haredim, one must understand that Haredim need the IDF."
