Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Tradition Minister Meir Porush questioned at a conference on Monday whether their support for religious-Zionist cardinal issues, such as settling the West Bank was not being reciprocated by support for an exemption of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) yeshiva students from IDF service.
“Unlike others, I believe that the religious community does not receive the respect it deserves for its contribution on the battlefield, especially in the last war,” the UTJ MK said to the religious-Zionist public, at a conference hosted by the Besheva media group in Jerusalem.
“When there were objections to the inclusion of representatives of the religious community at the decision-making table, I supported it and still believe that you deserve a greater voice in the discussion on how to continue the war – because you have paid the highest price in this war.”
But the haredi community has made its own contributions, especially demographically, Porush contended.“Think about the possibility that over the past 58 years, the blessed growth rate of haredi families in Jerusalem would not have been maintained, if large families had not remained in Jerusalem, if the haredi families in Jerusalem had not been blessed with children. Without this, standing proudly next to me today would be a Muslim mayor of Jerusalem. It is not politically correct to say this, but it is the truth,” Porush said.
The minister continued, “The question arises: isn’t this part of bearing the burden? Isn’t our part in mutual responsibility for the future of the Land of Israel worthy of consideration in the overall considerations? Isn’t a haredi mother raising eight, or 10, or sometimes even 12 children, and I was fortunate that my wife is among them, and there are those who have even more, isn’t such a mother deserving of a voice in the critical question of what preserves the Jewish people here? I know it’s not everything. But is it nothing in your eyes?
“In our community, there are those who ask, isn’t this connection between us too costly? Isn’t the haredi Judaism’s support for all settlement actions in Judea and Samaria, including the establishment on the hills, what we call ‘young settlement,’ forcing us to pay too high a price in relation to our ability as a haredi community to maintain our conservative way of life?”
Religious Zionist Party chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, however, later criticized haredi demands to pass a bill to exempt many haredim from IDF service prior to the passing of the 2025 budget.
“We will not agree to any further delay in passing the budget. The budget will not be held hostage by the legislation of the [haredi] conscription law,” Smotrich said.
“The discussions on the conscription law must be conducted thoroughly and seriously without compromising on the goal of enlisting thousands of haredim into the IDF and creating tailored frameworks that will enable their successful integration into the IDF, and thus, with God’s help, it will be,” the finance minister said.
Growing tensions
Porush’s comments marked the growing tension in the government between its religious-Zionist branch, whose constituents are demanding to expand the ranks of the IDF to lessen the burden of reserve duty, and the haredi branch, which is intent on ensuring that yeshiva students do not serve in the IDF.
The national budget for 2025 must pass into law by March 31, or else the government will fall. While the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee has been holding a marathon of meetings to push legislation of the conscription law forward, it is unlikely to pass into law by then.