Against the backdrop of an ongoing and increasingly violent war of terror being waged by the Haredi community against the State and the citizens of Israel, a critical question is not being asked.

Haredim argue that they are the avatars of Torah without which, and without whom, Israel – an Israel whose very legitimacy they reject – could not exist. In their latest effort to engrave into stone their exemption from military service and entitlement to endless funding at taxpayer expense, they are pushing for a constitutional law that would declare Torah study on a par with combat service in terms of importance to the State; once again, a state whose legitimacy they fundamentally reject in both word and deed.

So, the big, unasked question is, how come Israel’s other Torah community is being ignored? Why are the thousands of religious Zionist Torah scholars never mentioned in any discussion of the role of Torah in the sustainability of the State? How dare the Haredim show only contempt for Torah scholars in over 100 yeshivot across Israel who also serve in the IDF and give their lives for the country?

Worse yet, why is a cynical, self-serving heathen like Bibi Netanyahu so obeisant to Haredi society that he, with a straight face, can declare the centrality of their Torah studies to the national interest without ONCE mentioning the fact that there is a whole other Torah-centric society that is tragically overrepresented among the ranks of IDF war casualties?

I recall, very early in the war in Gaza, the death of an IDF reserve officer – a full-time Torah scholar in civilian life and the father of six children. Not only was he both learned and a fighter, but he was also exempted from service on account of the number of children he had. And yet, he insisted on showing up for active duty.

This hero was hardly unique. Over the course of the next three years there were many, too many, who followed him into Israel’s military cemeteries.

Yet, the Haredi world, and a Bibi in bed with rogues and ex-cons like Yitzchok Goldknopf and Aryeh Deri, act as if they don’t know of the existence of this other Torah society; the salt of the earth religious Zionists who combine religious fervor and combat, who support their families and support the State.

According to the Times of Israel, religious Zionists account for roughly 60% of Israeli soldiers killed in action, despite making up only 10% to 15% of the general population.

But their Torah is ridiculed by the howling Haredi mobs, and ignored by Bibi and his legislative henchmen like Bismuth, Smotrich and Ben Gvir.

I would like to suggest that part of the blame falls squarely on the unwitting shoulders of the least likely party – the very leaders of the religious Zionist Torah world themselves. And here’s how, and here’s why.

Some months ago, the Orthodox Union, America’s representative organization of modern Orthodox (i.e. religious Zionist) congregations, invited a delegation of Israel’s Religious Zionist rabbinic leaders to visit the United States. The OU had been concerned about an increasing alienation between America’s modern Orthodox communities and their Israeli counterparts.

This was certainly an excellent and worthy initiative. However, instead of bringing with them........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)