One More Time: The Israeli Sup Ct., the Kaplanists, and the Haredim

Dear Reader:

I am, once again, reposting someone else's most excellent work. Rochel Sylvetsky, my editor at Israel National News for many years, has written, in Hebrew, an eloquent and balanced view of the Israeli Supreme Court and the Kaplanist activists--and the haredi sector. Oh my God! How the Jews tear themselves apart! And at such a time--so very dangerous. Beyond unwise. Totally suicidal. Here is a translated version.

The Elite and the Haredi – Two Bitter Disappointments

Rachel Sylvetsky delivers a sharp yet balanced critique of the detached legal elite and the Haredi who do not take part in the national effort. "This is a test for everyone – even for those not on the front lines."
Rachel Sylvetsky
19 Tammuz 5785 / July 15, 2025

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Contrary to the song lyrics, I wasn’t born here—but I built my home here, and my grandchildren were born here. Since we made aliyah by choice decades ago, I’ve enjoyed being surrounded by Jews from all the exiles, I still catch my breath at the sight of Jaffa Gate and the Western Wall, I’m aware of the privilege of constantly fulfilling the mitzvah of settling the Land of Israel, and I deal with the bureaucracy—and the famously rough Israeli demeanor—with humor (most of the time).

We’ve lived through the Yom Kippur War, the Lebanon Wars, the Gaza wars, and now this one—a full-blown existential war, a war of no choice, one with a heavy civilian cost, where we see our soldiers united and fighting like lions. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world.

The indomitable strength of the Jewish people is astonishing, and maybe that’s the source of the disappointment I feel toward two segments of our society. Not anger, not despair—disappointment. And if what follows seems naïve, it’s proof that we’ve strayed far from basic values, values that once seemed axiomatic.

Let’s start with the group known as “the elite,” which includes former officials and the legal system. In a time of war, we could have expected this elite to earn their title for the right reasons—not for their wealth, lineage, or high-ranking positions, but for their noble, fair, and national behavior, not from an aristocratic perch.

This isn’t a demand I invented. John Adams, one of the American constitution’s framers, wrote over 200 years ago: “A republic is a government of laws, not of men. A government of laws is held by public servants for the benefit of the people. A government of men is exploited by an elite (aristocracy) to advance its own interests.”

And what is our situation?
Supreme Court judges ordered the Prime Minister to appear before them during wartime. A grim-faced investigator grilled him over a Bugs Bunny doll given to his son decades ago. Meanwhile, Gaza explodes, soldiers fall, decisions are made on Iran, Trump helps us, Trump pressures us (and by the way, he thinks our judges are crazy)—and the PM has to ask the court to postpone the hearing by a week.

The judicial system is made up of smart people. They know, just like I do, that distraction and fatigue can cost our children their lives. (Full disclosure: I personally know a Supreme Court justice—not Solberg—and I messaged him the first time they refused a postponement, asking him to bravely demand a delay until after the war. No response.)

And the thought creeps in—are they insisting because they hope the PM will slip up in managing the war, and be forced to resign? At what cost? What other explanation is there for such madness?

Then there’s the Attorney General, who blocked the appointment of a new Shin Bet head with flimsy excuses—leaving a critical agency without a leader in a time when it's needed to rescue hostages and stop attacks. Is it just because she opposes everything this government tries to do? She’s a smart woman. She knows how important it is to fill this role. Maybe, as a close associate of the previous Shin Bet head, she wants to prevent an outsider from uncovering internal workings? What other explanation is there?

And the “Kaplanists”—those protestors who hijacked the parents of the poor hostages, while anyone with basic intelligence knows their demonstrations raised the hostages’ price and made Hamas insist on impossible demands. I’m burdened by the suspicion that the “Kaplanists” don’t really care that much about the hostages. What matters more is harassing the PM. There are very intelligent people among them—you can’t explain this otherwise. Hamas probably didn’t anticipate our insanity—but it certainly knew how to exploit it.

Once, the elite stood strong against the psychological warfare of our enemies. In WWII, Britain called for a “stiff upper lip” even after 43,000 civilians were killed by the German Blitz. The U.S. never negotiated for the release of hostages out of principle and self-respect. We, however, are deep in negotiations with terrorists, and the “Kaplanists” want us to surrender to their demands. When IDF soldiers recovered bodies, some said “we don’t want soldiers to risk their lives to bring back corpses”—so let’s sign a surrender deal?

That would mean that the over 890 fallen IDF soldiers died for nothing. The demonstrators know the fighting doesn’t endanger the hostages—quite the opposite. The hostages are endangered by abandoning the fight and leaving it in the hands of people exploiting them to topple the government. They want the PM to fail—and they don’t care if we fail with him.

And the “formers” (ex-officials)? Mere traitorous village clowns. Could it be that the “former” who slandered our soldiers used to lead the country? Now he tells vile lies in broken English to hostile foreign media. I watch foreign news—their quotes are used against us constantly, attacking our army and state mid-war.

Don’t they realize how they’ll appear in the annals of Jewish history? Not as defenders of democracy—but as vulgar, threatening demonstrators endangering the state, holding non-elected centers of power. Is this what we call an elite?

And who else is disappointing? The Haredi sector.
Religious Zionists had hopes that the Haredi community would realize, after October 7, that it was time to act. Since that didn’t happen, a chance was missed—to increase love and respect for Torah, and instead much baseless hatred emerged, especially in response to threats to bring down the government mid-war over the draft law.

Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch explained that the high religious and moral motivation of Religious Zionist soldiers comes from identifying with the army of Joshua entering the Land. Since Haredi students don’t study Tanach, that identification is lacking. But they do study Torah—and in the Torah, Joshua fights Amalek when they attacked Israel. Like today’s soldiers, Moses held his hands aloft in prayer, the secret of victory.

On Simchat Torah 2023, Amalek attacked again—the weak, elderly, women, and children were their first victims. Surely the yeshiva students identify with this war.

The Israeli public found it difficult to see young Haredi men walking around during the day, month after month, outside the yeshiva walls—while their peers fought and risked their lives in Gaza.

There was hope that a clear call would emerge:

A. Yeshiva students must remain in study without breaks, not even for midterm vacation.
B. Anyone not learning full-time and not truly immersed in Torah should immediately enlist, in frameworks adapted to Haredi needs.

(If the army fails to accommodate them religiously—like it has with Hesder soldiers—let Haredi recruits protest en masse, just as they know how to protest draft laws. That would force the army to change. Rabbis can help maintain spiritual standards by visiting frequently.)

The Haredi sector knows that something fundamental has shifted. For years, we were told we need a “small and smart” army—justifying blanket exemptions for Torah learners. But now, everyone understands the need for a big and smart army, to relieve reservists serving over a year while aging and paying a high personal price.

The military experts themselves are calling for expansion. And during the “land-for-peace” votes, the Haredi parties said we must listen to the experts. Well—listen to them now, too.

Sanctions aren’t the way. They come from hypocritical leftist parties still undecided whether to draft girls into combat for the sake of “equality,” which, of course, means no haredim. Demonstrations and billboards from National-Religious mothers calling for universal conscription also won’t help. We must not force unwilling soldiers into service or encourage boys to rebel against their rabbis—it will backfire across an entire generation.

There is a solution.
Western democracies allow religious exemptions. A Jewish state must support Torah learners. A sincere Torah student should be exempt—if he chooses—and remain undisturbed in the study hall. Even in Religious Zionism, there are students who choose Torah over the army.

But a brave move is needed: separate true Torah learners from all others receiving exemptions. The Haredi public must publicly support drafting those not learning—and then explain this distinction clearly. It can be done. Such a move will elevate Torah, its scholars, and its learners in the eyes of the nation. But quitting the coalition on a day when three soldiers fall? Jewish history may not forgive that. And who knows what spiritual harm may come from showing such indifference to the sacrifices of Israel’s soldiers?

The elite and the Haredim. Two sectors—both part of the eternal people. One has a chance to return to its Zionist roots and stop the ongoing damage. The other can make a sober correction that honors Torah and respects the entire nation of Israel.

Meanwhile, a generation of giants is fighting in Gaza. They fought not long ago in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. They are a unifying generation who stood up and began to walk.

When they, God willing, achieve victory and return home—expecting much from all sectors—let's hope Israeli history turns over a new leaf.