On the day after the war, after the lights have been extinguished, after the excellent officers of the Israel Defense Forces, the managers in the Shin Bet and Mossad return their weapons, certificates, and ranks to their lockers and go with dignity on their new paths.
On the day after the war, after the lights have been extinguished from the politicians' hideouts, after their committees of inquiry, they will be shown the way home, if fortunate.
On the day after the next elections, when a united government of the fighting majority, the contributor, the religious, the secular, the left, the right, the center emerges. A government without extremists, from both sides of the spectrum, a government without citizens whose contribution to society is nonexistent.
On this day, we will roll up our sleeves, work hard, enact new democratic laws, ensure that everyone contributes, and ensure equality, dignity, and assistance even to the margins outside of the government.
On this day, we will act to eliminate the defense plan against external enemies and against crime and violence from within. We will not hesitate, we will not be deterred, we will not falter, and we will not fear. We will go to work according to a structured plan.
For many years now, everyone knows, but they remain silent, deceive, turn a blind eye, evade. From what? From the inequality in the burden, mainly the military or national service or something similar. Statistics have spoken about a decade or two from today, in which the country will collapse because the non-servers will become 50 percent, the economy will deteriorate, society will collapse, the country will disintegrate.
But then came the seventh of October, and despite all the terrible sorrow, anxiety, pain, and the vision that exploded in our faces, it flooded us with abstention in full force until we said enough, no more. We have no choice but to find a solution before it is truly too late.
And it's not about harming Torah study, nor about the difficulty of a minority Arab serving the state, it's about a sick and unbridled social process towards the abyss.
Maimonides (The Rambam) saw in the ideal way of life the combination of Torah and work, a life of Torah with labor, and so he also saw his work as a physician. Moreover, he criticized in his books the Torah scholars who relied on public funds, who made Torah "a shovel to dig with" and said of them that they profane the name of heaven. He strongly refused to accept the status of community leader even though in practice the kings of Egypt and the rabbis of the Jewish community in Egypt consulted him.
His position of denying livelihood from donations stemmed, in his view, from the words of the Sages: "Anyone who benefits from the words of Torah - takes his life from the world"… "Do not make them a crown to boast about, and not a shovel to dig with." And they also commanded and said: "Love work, and hate the rabbinate… and any Torah that is not accompanied by work, will end in neglect, and the end of such a person will be that he steals from creatures."
In addition, Maimonides believed that this involves both a rabbinic prohibition and a Torah prohibition, and his opinion led him to rule halachically on the subject:
"Anyone who places on his heart to study Torah and not to work, and to sustain himself from charity, he has profaned the name [of God], brought the Torah into contempt, extinguished the light of faith, brought evil upon himself, and forfeited his life in the world to come, for it is forbidden to derive benefit from the words of Torah in this world."
The law must and must be equal among all people, of all races, religions, genders, and beliefs. However, the pit is so deep that a creative solution must be found, one that addresses the security problem from within and without today and certainly in the future.
I'm not entirely sure that the integration of those same people within the IDF will be a blessing and will provide an effective solution. Whoever wants, of course, will be welcomed and will be able to serve in any unit they desire. The solution needs to be different.
In light of the events of the seventh of October, I assume that the borders are now being strengthened by human power much more significantly and continuously, not just based on intelligence and situation assessments and certainly not primarily relying on technology. In addition, it seems that the assumption has fallen on the uncompromising need for continuous defense of all settlements in the country, both in terms of security, comprehensive emergency preparedness including rescue and evacuation in the event of missile attacks, and in terms of criminal prevention.
All of these leads me to the conclusion that Israeli society needs a security force whose role is to protect the civilians and, in essence, public order, and primarily to restore security to the ordinary person on the street. A kind of police force and border guard. The intention is not to create another national force, whether subordinate to one ministry or another, let alone one that will be subject to such and such a ministry. The force that will protect the settlements must be an integral part of the Home Front Command routinely and certainly in emergencies, and the force that will secure the borders must be the IDF, with constant integration of forces between them, in border settlements.
This force, the brigade, or more than that, will be called 'Guardians of the Homefront'.
'Guardians of the Homefront' (Internal Guard)
We didn't learn anything new about what and how to defend, we were all just surprised because, as is the habit of human nature, we were trapped within a concept. Our leaders and commanders threw sarcastic threats at the enemy, as if they were more suitable for our neighbors, threats without receipts, threats with a sense of superiority that does not befit the people of Israel.
As the disaster grows, so does the urgency to change.
In order to integrate and solve our two main problems at the "Home Front", which are inequality in burden and personal security, we must take a big and necessary step forward.
As mentioned, in the IDF, we have the Home Front Command to assist in times of war and disaster crises, we have the police to maintain public order, assist against criminal threats, and of course in times of war. But we lack manpower and resources, and we don't have a true defense plan in settlements, orderly, both against criminal and security threats on a continuous basis and certainly not in emergencies.
In every settlement, city, village, kibbutz, moshav... there will be a unit according to its size, which will know the area well, know the residents, and operate according to an orderly defense plan in routine and emergencies.
The Internal Guard will be mostly composed of ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arabs, depending on the settlement.
Working Method
In every settlement in the country, a station will be established from which patrols will be dispatched, whether on foot patrols, vehicles, surveillance, and more. Each station will essentially be a base providing all the needs of the unit's servicemen and will include the entire logistical envelope, from food, accommodation, equipment supplies, synagogue, study classrooms, vehicles, and more.
The ultra-Orthodox servicemen will go on daily patrols, among which they will be given the opportunity to study Torah and fulfill their commandments. In this way, an excellent solution will be provided for integrating Torah studies with contribution to a just and egalitarian society.
Similarly, regarding the Arab society, which will focus on securing Arab settlements and their presence in the streets, will drastically reduce criminal incidents. The unit's servicemen will not be from the settlement itself; they will come to serve from a distant settlement, thus avoiding the problem of personal and family acquaintance, which may hinder routine work.
Another significant and direct benefit of the patrols and ongoing assistance will be personal acquaintance between the unit and the residents, which will grow over time, fostering mutual respect and appreciation resulting from giving to society in all its social shades.
The unit will cooperate and deal with the challenges in full synergy with the Israel Police, Magen David Adom, and firefighters. Not only will cooperation be maintained, but anyone who wishes to serve in those places instead of the Internal Guard will be welcomed.
Manpower and Resources
In units, ultra-Orthodox and Arabs will serve accordingly (of course, it will be open to anyone who wishes).
The length of service will be determined according to the need according to settlements and tasks, but in any case, it will not be less than two years. The service will, of course, be similar to the IDF in all that entails. Disciplinary measures, conditions, resources, and more.
Security will be maintained 24/7, seven days a week, with ease and creative solutions for Shabbat itself, but with an emphasis on life-saving overrides on Shabbat.
The unit's fighters will undergo comprehensive training in comprehensive security, firearm use, arrest powers, anomaly detection, providing first aid, initial treatment of anxiety victims, evacuation and rescue from collapsed buildings, physical fitness, civilian environment work, maintaining continuous readiness by performing patrols, training refreshments, shooting ranges, and more.
To Summarize
I am convinced and confident that the establishment of such a unit, which allows the integration of Torah studies for those interested, better acquaintance between sectors, provides security to residents, and ensures equality in burden, will be an excellent solution for our society, faced with the current situation that leaves us no choice but to find a creative, equal solution for all souls.
Over time, the unit will develop its own pride, it will operate to mitigate terrorism attacks on the streets, reduce criminal incidents, restore personal security to all residents, but mainly maintain equality in burden without undermining Torah studies (of course, only for Torah scholars) and preserve the unity of Israel and the minorities within it.
Am Israel Chai
Comments