JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A fascinating clip which appeared on I24 news cast a spotlight on the dilemma now faced by charedim: Should they cut off ties entirely with the state of Israel in order to continue to maintain their lifestyle? Should they adopt the Satmar method and divest themselves from all state support?
Reporter Ari Kalman described both methods in his report: The approach of the Chazon Ish and other great rabbis who promoted cooperation with the new state of Israel in order to reach a modus vivendi allowing for charedim and for the yeshivos to flourish. This method enabled the yeshivos to receive state support for the last 75 years while continuing to maintain their independence and unique lifestyle.
With the current impasse regarding a draft law and the tens of thousands of draft notices issued even to those studying full time, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the heads of the charedi community to pursue cooperation with the state, which has stressed that it demands reciprocity for funding the yeshivos and is bent on sharply increasing charedi enlistment goals as part of the proposed law.
The untenable situation, where yeshiva students and other charedi youth fear arrest by military police, has led many to consider adopting the Satmar method of Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum zts’l, which eschews all form of cooperation with the state and fiercely maintains the independence of its institutions by not accepting any form of state funding. This has enabled its yeshivos to flourish and to grow, and in recent years they have been joined by the Lithuanian Jerusalem Faction, which has adopted the ideology of militant opposition to state attempts to influence charedi society.
Recently, Satmar mega donor Yoeli Landau visited Israel, officially for the yahrzeit of the rebbe but also to attempt to encourage more factions in the charedi world to adopt the Satmar method and relinquish all of their state funding. Landau promised that Satmar’s philanthropists will be able to provide alternative funding to keep the Torah institutions running.
Despite this, charedi MKs stress that the time has not yet come to divest from the state support of Torah, although they admit that if tactically this will enable more Torah study, the Lithuanian gedolim will also support such a change.
https://vinnews.com/2025/08/28/as-draft-deferment-system-collapses-charedim-consider-adopting-satmar-method/
1 comment:
Of course, this Satmar solution is very wise. Everyone knows that once you rely on the help of others, especially government, you are already bought & sold. Put your faith & life only in the hands (so to speak) of Hashem! This is
what He wants of Am Yisrael.
chelm
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