Now it is clear what the real reason for Israeli army reserve
duty always was. Now that the Government has approved the new
reserve law, the Knesset has approved its first reading, and
it is expected to be fully approved by the end of the
calendar year, it is clear what was behind the way things
were done for so many years.
Today, all who serve in the IDF are required to serve as much
as 30 days of reserve duty a year. Until 1985, they were on
call until the age of 54, though by the end of 2004 this had
been lowered to the age of 40.
According to the new law, all soldiers who serve in noncombat
roles during their regular army service will not be required
to do any reserve service. The proportion of the total number
of active soldiers that this involves was not released, but
it is certainly substantial. Those who serve in combat roles
will generally serve no more than 14 days a year. No one over
the age of 40 may be required to serve, though they are
allowed to volunteer.
In addition, the Minister of Defense has said on numerous
occasions that he expects to reduce the amount of mandatory
service — currently three years — by five to
seven months. Serious consideration is being given to doing
away with the universal draft altogether, and converting to a
professional, all-volunteer army.
What happened? Did the Middle East suddenly get safer? Is the
threat any smaller?
The process of lowering the maximum age of reserve duty began
in 1985, and even though there was a sharp upturn in violence
with the start of the first intifadah in 1987 (which
continued until the Oslo agreements in 1993), the age was
lowered steadily through 1995 when it reached 45.
A change like this one is not made in a month or two. The
decision to revise the approach to reserve duty was the
result of a year's work by the Braverman Committee, which was
obviously appointed while Yasser Arafat was in charge and the
violence was continuing.
The report of the committee notes that, "the system of [army]
reserves has made an important contribution to Israeli
society, a contribution that is not less than its
contribution to the military power of the IDF." The report
further notes that there have been significant changes in the
environment in which the IDF operates, "political, social,
economic, and technologic."
Notice that it does not say anything about the military
environment.
One could not ask for a clearer statement than this. Service
in the IDF is not just a military act, and perhaps in most
times not even mainly a military act for most people. It is a
social and political act.
The IDF was meant — by the founding Zionist
establishment — to serve and did serve as a melting
pot. What that means is that its purpose was to form everyone
into a common type of Israeli — a secular, Western
Israeli. Service in the IDF was meant to provide a common
experience and a bonding experience that would produce a
"new" Israeli. Taking a month off from family and friends who
tied everyone to their traditions, men spent a month a year
creating a new shared experience that was meant to replace
the shared Jewish tradition.
All this is precisely what chareidi Jewry has fought
against.
We want unity among Jews, but within a shared ancient
tradition, and respecting the heritage of each community. We
do not want a melting pot that will produce secular sameness,
but a coming together based on our shared Torah that we have
had since Sinai. We hope at some point to recreate the
spiritual highlights that we lost when we went into exile,
not to replace it with decadent Western ways of life.
When Israelis always were able to challenge us by saying that
we did not join the IDF, the assumption was that army service
was a military response to an imminent threat of pikuach
nefesh. How can we shirk our responsibility to save the
Jewish people?
Our perceptive leaders always said that the military aspect
of army service masks the ulterior motives of the political
leadership. But this was not easy to show, and impossible to
use as a quick answer in a heated dialogue.
But now, they have said it themselves. And in any case, the
whole issue should be gone in a few years.
Now perhaps our kiruv workers will have an easier
time.
