Law recognizes volunteer work for Chabad stream of orthodox Judaism as alternative to IDF service.
By MATTHEW WAGNERIRAC march 224 88(photo credit: Israel Religious Action Center)
Volunteer work with Chabad Lubavitch will be recognized as a legitimate alternative to IDF service under the Tal Law, which allows young haredi men to contribute to the state without doing army duty.
Encouraging fellow Jews to wear tefillin or to light Shabbat candles will not be recognized as national service, but aiding the sick and poor and helping young boys prepare for their bar mitzvas will be.
Rabbi Gilad Kariv of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), the Reform Movement's legal arm, called the deal with Chabad "outrageous."
"It is scandalous that an organization which preaches religious adherence is receiving recognition and funding from the state to be an alternative to IDF service," said Kariv.
"I have nothing against Chabad per se. But the state has no right to substitute blatantly religious activity for mandatory military service. There must be clear criteria for national service that is devoid of religious content.
"The haredim have been given enough shortcuts with the Tal Law. This is going too far. We will fight it in court."
Kariv said that the IRAC had already petitioned the Supreme Court against national service for religious women, claiming that the criteria for eligible service tracks for them are also problematic.
As an example Kariv cited Efrat, an anti-abortion organization, which is recognized as a legitimate volunteer organization despite its decidedly religious slant.
Last week representatives from Chabad met with Reuven Gal, head of the Civil-National Service Administration and agreed in principle on cooperation.
"Most Chabad men do army service," said Rabbi Menachem Brod, Chabad's spokesman. "But this new arrangement will help us attract people from outside Chabad."
Tens of thousands of haredi men in Israel opt to postpone their three-year mandatory IDF service indefinitely to devote themselves to Torah study. Many also oppose serving in the IDF for religious and ideological reasons.
Since these men would be immediately eligible for the draft if they left the yeshiva, they were forced to either remain enrolled in yeshiva or provide false documentation that they were enrolled. As a result, they were blocked from learning a profession in a recognized institution and joining the labor market until a late age, when they received exemption from IDF service.
The Tal Law, which took effect in February 2003, was designed to provide an option for young yeshiva students who did not want to do army service but wanted to get a job.
These men were given the option, after the age of 22, of doing one year of national service instead and receiving an exemption from IDF service.
However, the Tal Law was not fully implemented until January 2008, with the creation of the Civil-National Service Administration.
Since the beginning of the year, dozens of organizations like Chabad have received approval from the administration to be recognized for the national service track.
According to the findings of the Ivri Committee, which formed the basis for the creation of the administration, there is a potential for 4,000 haredi men to participate in the program. So far only about 400 have opted to join.
Sources in the administration said that they were doing their best to avoid media coverage of the program.
"So far the rabbinic establishment has not come out against what we are doing," said the source.
"We are trying to work behind the scenes, making as little noise as possible so that we don't arouse anybody's rancor."
The source said that if the rabbis were given the impression that yeshiva students were being encouraged to abandon their Torah studies for a profession, they would come out against the Tal Law and hamper its implementation.
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