According to Goldhaber, the incident occurred while he was traveling to central Israel in uniform.

“I was sitting in my uniform on the way to the center of the country, and he spat on me. Literally.”

Despite the encounter, Goldhaber said he did not view the individual who spat on him as an extremist and expressed sympathy for the environment that may have shaped his views.

“The truth is that I have no complaints against him. He didn’t seem like one of the extremists,” Goldhaber wrote.

He argued that many people have come to view soldiers negatively because of the broader conflict surrounding the enlistment of bnei yeshiva.

“Still, he spat on me because we, as a country, as an army, and as citizens, have caused him to hate every type of soldier.”

Goldhaber said that in the eyes of some within the community, every chareidi soldier is automatically labeled a Chardak and viewed as part of a system perceived as hostile to lomdei Torah.

“Every soldier to him is a Chardak (chareidi kal daas),” he wrote.

He continued by explaining what he believes motivates such hostility.

“He thinks that we are persecuting Torah learners, chas v’shalom, sending some of them to detention and prison, so is it any wonder that they hate us?”

Addressing the broader debate over the enlistment of chareidim, Goldhaber said the issue is complex but stressed that the animosity he witnessed was rooted in larger societal tensions rather than personal hatred.

“Should a solution be found for the enlistment of chareidim? Maybe yes and maybe not, but the hatred that I saw in his eyes was definitely not personal hatred. It’s only because a tango requires two sides.”

Goldhaber concluded by calling for an end to hostility and emphasizing that violence will not resolve the dispute.

“Let’s just say that nothing will be accomplished through violence. I promise!”

{Matzav.com}