As images of clashes between extremist Charedi protesters and Israeli police continue to circulate on social media, Charedi leaders are navigating a crisis that threatens Torah life in the Jewish state. Belaaz spoke with Degel Hatorah MK Rabbi Yitzchak Pindrus, who delivered a fiery speech in the Knesset this week, and director of Eretz Hakodesh and its Iggud Bnei Yeshivos Chu”l program, Rabbi Nechemia Malinowitz, who has been working behind the scenes on behalf of American dual citizens navigating Israel’s military bureaucracy.

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‘They Made a Million and a Half People Criminals’

MK Pindrus did not mince words when asked to describe the current atmosphere facing the Charedi tzibur in Israel.

“There’s no doubt that the tzibbur is under tremendous pressure,” he told Belaaz. “It’s been going on for almost two years, and it’s becoming worse and worse.”

He described a multi-front assault on Charedi life – budget cuts to Charedi education, erosion of the communal boundaries that have allowed the community to maintain its lifestyle, and above all, the looming specter of criminal liability for yeshiva bochurim who have not enlisted. “They’re making 100,000 boys into criminals; illegal and criminals,” Pindrus said, noting that the ripple effects extend across a community of over a million people. “Between 1.3 and 1.5 million people are under tremendous pressure.”

When asked about the violent protests that have made international headlines – demonstrators blocking roads, burning trash bins, and confronting police officers – Pindrus offered a sharp rejoinder to those who have condemned the Charedi community for the unrest. He argued that those demanding calm are the very same people who created the conditions for the explosion.

“It’s as if I walked into your house, started breaking in, I start stealing everything, and then I start screaming at you – ‘What are you doing? Why are you so nervous? Calm down,'” he said. “The same people that created that pressure, that created the delegitimization of us that put a million and a half people outside the fence – they’re the ones complaining, ‘Why are they so violent?'”

He was careful to note that there is a difference between criticism from within and criticism from without. “If my brother tells me, ‘Listen, I think you should calm down, let’s figure out a way to take control of the situation’ — that’s one thing. But the intruder himself? You’re out of your mind.”

On the legislative front, Pindrus confirmed that a vote on the draft bill – which has been the subject of intense coalition negotiations – could come at any moment. “It could happen tonight, it could happen tomorrow, it could happen by the weekend,” he said. If the Charedi parties can support the bill as written, it moves forward. If not, he warned, “that probably means we’re going to elections.”

The American Question

For American dual citizens with sons learning in Israeli yeshivos, the crisis has raised urgent practical questions: Are Americans being swept up in arrests? Are their sons at risk? Is the situation affecting their ability to stay and learn?

Rabbi Nechemia Malinowitz, who has emerged as a tireless advocate for American bnei yeshiva within the Israeli system, says he is very close to finalizing arrangements with army officials on behalf of this community — and that, for now, Americans are largely not being caught up in the dragnet.

“There’s no American issue,” he said. “There’s like 25 in one yeshiva in Bnei Brak, but that’s about it. There’s no real issue with Americans being rounded up anywhere.”

The increased posture of Israeli law enforcement has not, by and large, targeted Americans. Rabbi Malinowitz acknowledges that American bochurim occasionally get arrested for “doing stupid things,” but says the broader crackdown is not focused on them.

Critically, Rabbi Malinowitz has worked to convince Israeli authorities – including senior army generals he met with on a tour of American yeshivos – that the American world is distinct from the Israeli Charedi world.

“I succeeded in convincing them that the American world is disconnected from this,” he said.

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Rabbi Malinowitz was direct when speaking about the violent protests: “It’s very, very sad. It’s a few bad apples. It’s not the da’as Gedolei Torah. It’s not our derech in any way, shape or form.”

He also declined to give the police a pass. “The police are terribly wrong here too. Both sides in this latest story are terrible.”

His bottom line was a call for de-escalation across the board. “Everybody has to take a deep breath and realize that this has to get solved — sooner rather than later. Each side doubling down on their positions is not going to get anybody anywhere. At the end of the day, there’s going to have to be some sort of agreement, some sort of a law.”

What Comes Next

For American families with sons in Eretz Yisroel, Rabbi Malinowitz says relief may be on the horizon. He is in the final stages of negotiations aimed at simplifying the rules governing American dual citizens — rules he describes as overly complicated and poorly understood even by those most affected.

“Part of what we’re working very hard on is to make the rules simpler,” he said. “If we make the rules simpler and change some of them, you’ll be able to understand them, and I’m willing to help get them out there. That’s part of the deal.”

He noted that once any agreement is finalized, communicating the new rules to the American community will be a priority. “If we change the rules, it’s going to be our job to get it out there.”