Participation in the march

The CEO of Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah explains on the "Kippah" online site why it was important to participate in the Stretcher March.

15/03/2011 12:58

Tags: IDF ·  draft evasion ·  Israel army

The Stretcher Campaign of the Service Duty Forum. Photo: the Burden Sharing Forum

Religious Zionism chose to participate in the Zionist enterprise while the purist Haredi attitude was "anything that smells like something other than the smell of the tents of Torah, is considered unclean" writes Shmuel Shetah, on the .kipa site. In the Stretcher March (Masa HaAlunkot) in support of military service and burden sharing by all sectors of society, he explains, Bnei Akiva continues its religious Zionist tradition. Shetah, CEO of the Neamanei Torah VeAvoda movement, writes that the stretcher march is taking place as a call to fix a difficult and basic problem of state. "The phenomenon of draft-dodging, whether by the Haredim or by secular

draft-dodging, is an existential threat to the strength of society

people of a certain type, is an existential threat to the strength of society." Bnei Akiva, he says, chose to participate in the statement obliging everyone to share in the burden. He says that the participation of Bnei Akiva in this event is by way of being a sactification of G-d's name (Kiddush ha Shem), even if leftist organizations who don't identify at all with Bnei Akiva's views participate in it. "Although there were signs that I didn't like here and there, the "beautiful" Israel was also there. Not anti-Haredi or anti-religious incitement, but authentic good-will, and it seemed like everyone was assuming responsibility."