Moving to Israel

Always a popular and often controversial subject among people born and raised in Israel, as well as immigrants who choose to move to Israel, is the issue of army service in Israel.

One of the most common arguments/discussions in this area focuses on the requirements of the religious resident vs. their secular neighbors. Another frequently discussed issue is the matter of women serving in the IDF.  Rebbetzin Yehudit Shilat of Takana, a forum which fights sexual harassment, tackles both of those issues in an interview with Arutz Sheva where she states her belief that no woman, religiously observant or not, should be required to enlist in the military.

Shilat responded to a proposed Knesset law that would make it more difficult for young women to escape IDF service by claiming to be religiously observant. She expressed support for the proposed measures to ensure that all women who choose not to serve due to “religious reasons” are actually religious, and are not merely using religion as an excuse to evade national service altogether.

Shilat also stresses that there are many ways in which women can contribute to Israel’s security without joining the military stating that “Security isn’t just about war and related matters, it’s also about social welfare, health, education – that’s also part of creating a secure society.”

Go check it out as the interview is a well done piece with an intelligent interviewee that will surely open you up to an interesting perspective of this long running issue.

Ari

There was a very interesting post today over at Teaneck Talk, a local blog written and maintained by the Orthodox community of Teaneck, NJ (a very well known and popular town in the New York City area). The author of the article writes how, although the area of Teaneck has an exceptionally high rate of Aliyah and people moving to Israel, there has been an equally alarming number of people making Yerida (leaving Israel) and moving to the area while also starting to take up some of the more high profile positions (Shul president, etc.) of the religious community.

The author takes a very hard tone against these practices and even suggests shunning those who move into Teaneck after leaving Israel. It is a very interesting topic and there has been a number of comments posted on the blog (including one by yours truly).

What does everyone think of this? As someone who has dedicated a good part of their life to the Aliyah cause - including this blog - I am very interested to hear what my readers think about the possibility of making certain positions unavailable and, perhaps even shunning, the people who move into an area after making Yerida. I think hearing from everyone would help to shape my opinion as well and I am anxiously looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks.

Ari