Instead of Lecturing the Haredim – It's Time to See the Truth
Journalist Orly Vilnai called for drafting the Haredim to assist the elderly and the sick — but seems to have forgotten a crucial detail: The Haredi public has been engaged for decades in giving and…
Assessment
A columnist on Channel 14 pushes back against a call by journalist Orly Vilnai for drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews to assist the elderly and sick, arguing that the community already engages in mutual aid as a matter of religious lifestyle. The piece frames the debate around military service as a distraction from what it portrays as a long-standing tradition of volunteerism. The underlying tension is between those who see Haredi exemption from military service as a national problem and those who view the community's separate social infrastructure as a legitimate alternative. The next move to watch is whether this argument gains traction in the broader public discourse or remains confined to the Haredi-aligned media ecosystem.