What we are witnessing over the past several days is nothing short of an earthquake: The Haredim, as a sector, have all but announced that they would not abide by the various coronavirus restrictions.
These High Holidays may ultimately become a historic inflection point in which the myth of gradual Haredi integration is dispelled. Unless policymakers sober up and face reality, we will soon wake up to find out that this grand delusion was just a beloved mirage.
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Haredi towns have pursued an official policy that publicly flouts Health Ministry regulations. Yes, it is an official policy that includes some of the largest Hassidic courts as well as various non-Hassidic Haredim.
Rabbis have skirted the laws by refusing to outright ban gatherings at synagogues, asking congregants to just "try" and find an outdoor venue for services nearby. This has led many to simply go about praying inside synagogues, making them hot spots for community spread.
During Rosh Hashanah, when all Israeli schools were told to shut down, many Haredi education facilities continued operating as if no restrictions were imposed.
Now we have to brace for what may unfold during the Simchat Torah celebrations this weekend. The Haredim could try to find a way to strike a balance between the regulations and the public festivities, or opt for clashes with law enforcement by violating the law en masse.
The Haredim have pointed a finger at police, saying that the recent clashes erupted because officers entered Haredi neighborhoods. But the police were there to enforce the lockdown after it became apparent that the Haredim had been violating it in synagogues and other venues. In effect, the Haredim have been telling the officers that they should be left alone to violate the coronavirus restrictions as they please. "Just trust us, and everything will turn out just fine," they say. Yeah right.
The Sephardi-Haredi party Shas and its followers has taken a different path. This underscores the difference between the Ashkenazi and Sephardi approaches in the Haredi sector. The first sees the over-arching objective as preserving its purity and wholesomeness, whereas the second sees the bond with the other, less observant Jews, as paramount. But it is hard to see how Shas maintains this approach as its followers look over and see what unfolds on the other side of the Haredi spectrum.
Israelis must undergo a paradigm shift. The country must go back to the drawing board and scrap the integration plans; they are a joke. Rather than trying to educate the Haredim, we should try to bolster those who actually choose to serve in the military or join other parts of society, because that is where the practical solution lies. Those who choose to serve, as well as all other soldiers, should get a massive pay hike. This will not only draw Haredim into the IDF, but also bolster Israeli society as a whole.
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