One of the most difficult topics for those in the Yeshiva world to explain to Jews in general community, is the issue of the Charedim and IDF army service.

I wrote this article to give people in all Jewish communities a different perspective than they may be receiving from the general media.

How Charedim Benefit the State of Israel

One of the most interesting subplots of the entire story of Israel since October 7, is the role of the Charedim vis a vis the State. Discussion of this topic seems to bring out more passion and anger, than almost any other related to Israel.

The primary areas of divergence between the Charedim and the rest of Israeli society are, A)  IDF army service and B) employment.

The Army: Few Charedi men join the IDF, choosing for an exemption instead. Ostensibly, the army debate from the point of view of non Charedim is about fairness. The Charedim, argue their detractors, should bear the defense burden just like the rest of Israeli society, especially when receiving government subsidies. And more so, those that join the army are risking their lives to defend the State. Non Charedim, particularly those in the National Religious (Dati Leumi) camp, bore a fearsome cost in loss of life and limb since Oct. 7. (The Dati Leumi would further say that the Torah requires us to fight. This requires its own article)

Charedim will respond that they are defending the State spiritually through Torah and Tefilla, which form a spiritual defense of Israel. They will point to miracles that occur, such as the ballistic missiles fired from Iran with few casualties, as examples of God’s protection of His land. They will also counter the claim that most non Charedim risk their life for Israel, by pointing to the fact that the majority of IDF soldiers don’t see combat.

But there is a much more fundamental issue at play for both sides which is truly the crux of the issue. That is, socialization. Israel’s Charedim represent a quarter of all Hebrew speaking Israeli youth. This appears to non Charedim to be a demographic nightmare. Their future does not look like the Israel that most of the country is used to. That is where the army comes in. Israeli society looks to the army to normalize and assimilate Charedim into becoming Israeli. Charedim, however, don’t want to assimilate into Israeli society. The sine qua non of Charedi belief is to pursue the deepest possible relationship with God, something which stands in stark contrast to Israeli and  western culture. This isn’t to say that Charedim must always reject anything western. In fact, many young Charedim are conversant in Israeli history, politics, etc. And many Charedim find employment in non Charedi companies. It’s just that they don’t seek immersion in that culture. This socialization is really the crux of the issue.

Furthermore, it is debatable whether the army really wants Charedim; In the aftermath of Oct 7, 4000 Charedim tried to join the IDF, yet only 540 were ultimately absorbed into the IDF.

Employment:  Male Charedi employment stands at 54% while Jewish non Charedi employment is 86%. (Charedi women work at a similar rate to non Charedi women). Israeli Charedim are often accused by those to their left of costing Israeli society too much due to their low male labor numbers. A recent video by Naftali Bennett claimed that the average Jewish non Chareidi family contributes 6000 Shekel a year to the State, more than they receive in return, yet the average Chareidi family receives 4000 Shekel more than they contribute. Chareidi critics claim that they are taking, but not giving back anything in return. A careful analysis, however, should lead one to a different conclusion. In fact, there are a number of areas in which Haredim are quite a boon for Israel.

5 Ways in Which the Charedim Benefit Israel: 

1. Charedim are responsible for an immense amount of overseas dollars flowing into the Israeli economy: There are thousands of Charedi synagogues, Yeshivas, Kollels, educational institutions, as well as needy individuals and other charities which, altogether receive hundreds of millions of dollars annually from American and European donors. This alone brings in massive amounts of capital into the Israeli economy. Thousands of young diaspora Charedi men and women study in Yeshivas and seminaries, resulting in approximately $40,000+ per student benefit to the Israeli economy. Outreach institutions bring thousands of students to Israel each year. Few of these people or funds would come, if there were no Charedim in Israel. What’s more, tens of thousands of Diaspora Charedim visit Israel each year, often multiple times a year, bringing in further tens of millions. Many of these people own apartments in Israel, paying thousands of shekels in taxes annually. Again, this is a direct outgrowth of the Israeli Charedi population.

1. Charedim serve the State by volunteering and through charitable organizations: Charedim run numerous charities that benefit all sectors of Israel. Yad Eliezer feeds Israeli poor, Yad Sarah lends medical equipment to all, United Hatzalah volunteer EMS and Zaka post disaster response, serve hundreds of thousands of Israelis across the spectrum often under the most difficult circumstances (including their dangerous and heroic activity on and post Oct 7). Migdal Ohr has given life and hope to tens of thousands of underprivileged youth, and on and on.40% of Charedim in Israel volunteer significant time to charitable causes, not for a three year army stint, but often for decades. Charedi volunteers and nonprofits have a direct and massive social and financial benefit to almost all areas of Israeli society, at a significantly higher rate than that of secular Israelis.

Furthermore, since October 7, the Charedi community has stepped up in a remarkable way, with thousands volunteering to support the army. Wealthy Charedim in the United States played a crucial role, providing housing for thousands of Israelis displaced by the war in Gaza, offering accommodations in hotels across central Israel. Many (including my parents) opened their homes, offering their apartments to displaced families at no cost. Additionally, Charedi activist Shai Graucher has been an outstanding figure in this effort.

“In one video, Rabbi Shai Graucher is seen pulling up with an 18-wheeler hauling washing machines and dryers to an army base so soldiers can launder their uniforms. In another, he hands out iPads and AirPods in a hospital to victims of the Oct. 7 attacks. In a third, he is handing out pizza to kids from families that have been displaced by the fighting at a party featuring face-painting, magic shows and games.” Graucher’s work was largely supported by affluent American Charedim, whose generosity helped sustain these vital initiatives.

1. Charedimand the National Religious (Dati Leumi) helped maintain a Jewish majority in Israel: One of the great crises facing Europe is population collapse and a takeover of non native populations who express animosity to their host cultures. Fouad Ajami, Lebanese – American thinker and professor, in a debate with a young Benjamin Netanyahu in 1978 claimed that this very thing would occur to Israel. He insisted that Israel would not maintain a Jewish majority and would be out populated by Arab Israelis. (Interestingly, Meir Kahane also feared this as well.) In fact this never materialized. One reason given by the Taub Center, is that “Among the Arab Israeli population, fertility trends have followed patterns similar to those in the rest of the modern world – decreasing significantly since the 1960s in conjunction with increased education levels and employment participation rates among women.”

In contrast, the overall Jewish Israeli fertility rate is above 3 births per woman. The primary driver of positive Jewish population increases in Israel have been large families birthed by Charedi (6.38 births per woman) and National Religious women (3.77). Jewish Israeli women outside of these communities still have children above the 2.1 replacement levels. Still, the stark contrast driving Jewish population growth in Israel comes from the religious sector. This high fertility rate in Israel is a full child per woman higher than the next highest developed country, Mexico. All this while Charedi female employment is roughly the same as non Charedi female employment.

Another related issue is the hundreds of thousands of Israelis living abroad. “Yerida,” leaving Israel, is largely not a Charedi phenomenon. Contrast that with diaspora Charedi youth who almost all spend some time studying in Israel for Yeshiva or Seminary. Some of these young people eventually make aliyah. 80% of North American Aliyah in 2021 was Orthodox. And while many of those people were Modern Orthodox, it is entirely common for Diaspora Charedim to have at least one sibling living in Israel.

1. Charedim have low rates of crime and negative social impact:Take a walk in a Charedi neighborhood and you will rarely see crime, illegal drug use, etc. Strong families and a religious ethic make Charedi neighborhoods very safe. Rates of drug use, abandoned children, etc are small. All of this results in lower need for police and emergency services, jails, general government services, family planning services, etc. This likely saves the State of Israel millions of dollars. What’s more, the Taub Center reported “that life expectancy was three years higher among Charedi men in [these] three cities than would be expected based on their socioeconomic status. Among Charedi women, life expectancy was 1.5 years higher than would be expected based on their socioeconomic status. Chernichovsky and Sharony propose that the relatively good health of Charedim is related to the fact that these communities have high levels of social capital. Social capital implies social trust, norms, and networks and includes aspects of life common to the Charedim: a high number of social relationships, high levels of satisfaction with family relationships, strong social support systems, and high levels of volunteering. Also, a relatively low percentage of Charedim report feelings of loneliness (less than half of the percentage reporting feelings of loneliness in other population groups).” Again, better health outcomes saves Israel money.

1. Societies require a vision for the future and purpose in order to maintain themselves:One of the great challenges in western society is the lack of ability to express a vision as to what one is living for and why one should defend one’s homeland and way of life. This lack of moral vision and purpose correlates in low marriage and birth rates and high rates of depression and crime. Because if a young person has no positive vision of the future, nor any real purpose as to why maintaining that future is important, they will most likely retreat into a self-serving nihilistic worldview.

It is not surprising that population collapse and a resulting economic calamity looms in the distant future of many countries. Furthermore, young people are less likely to fight for their country against an enemy if they cannot express what value their country has. Yet Israel’s young people rose to the occasion of fighting off the enemies that surround them since Oct 7. There are multiple reasons for this, but the religious inspiration that has swept the country cannot be discounted. And who maintained that religious vision since the founding of the State of Israel by a predominantly secular and oftentimes anti religious majority? The Charedim did. Often in face of heated attack for their “backward and outdated” ways. The impact of maintaining the Jewish nature of Israel and enabling young people of all backgrounds to share that vision cannot be gainsaid.

The eminent Charedi writer Jonathan Rosenblum is fond of mentioning the following incident which highlights this point: ” Salah Tamari, a former Palestinian terrorist, told Israeli journalist Aharon Barnea of the complete transformation he underwent in an Israeli prison. While in prison, he had completely despaired of any hope that the Palestinians would one day realize any of their territorial dreams, and so he was ready to renounce the struggle.

Then, one Passover, he witnessed his Jewish warder eating a pita sandwich. Tamari was shocked, and asked his jailer how he could so unashamedly eat bread on Pesach.
The Jew replied: ‘I feel no obligation to events that took place over 2,000 years ago. I have no connection to that.’

That entire night Tamari could not sleep. He thought to himself: ‘A nation whose members have no connection to their past, and are capable of so openly transgressing their most important laws – that nation has cut off all its roots to the Land.’

He concluded that the Palestinians could, in fact, achieve all their goals. From that moment, he determined ‘to fight for everything – not a percentage, not such crumbs as the Israelis might throw us – but for everything. Because opposing us is a nation that has no connection to its roots, which are no longer of interest to it.’

Tamari goes on to relate how he shared this insight with ‘tens of thousands of his colleagues, and all were convinced.’

And yet the Israeli youth fought. and that is because they did feel a connection to their past. During the early days of the State, when secularism was all the rage, it was the Charedim who held the line for tradition. This eventually spread to many Israelis and enabled them to have a connection to their past and a vision for the future, even if they weren’t very religious.

The schism between the secular and the Charedim will continue. The issues are complex and diaspora Jews long for this debate to be handled in a more nuanced fashion on both sides. Either way, it would be helpful for each side to have a truer and clearer picture of what Charedim do for the State of Israel.

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Rabbi Meir Goldberg is the director of the JX campus network, at NY/NJ/Chicago campuses. He can be reached at [email protected]