Prof. Baruch Shimoni: The Exemption That Didn't Exist in the Diaspora – When the Haredi Tradition Reinvents Itself
Prof. Baruch Shimoni argues that the Haredi leadership uses a false historical claim to justify exemption from military service. He describes traditional Jewish education in the Diaspora, where most boys worked from age 13, and only a minority continued Torah study. According to him, the 'society of learners' in Israel is a modern innovation, not a natural continuation of tradition.
Prof. Baruch Shimoni, a sociologist and anthropologist from Bar-Ilan University, argues in his article that the Haredi leadership in Israel uses a false historical claim to justify mass exemption from military service and work. He describes the traditional Jewish education system in the Diaspora, focusing on the Jews of Kurdistan, North Africa, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, as well as Eastern Europe. According to him, most boys learned basics at a young age, but around bar mitzvah age they left school and joined the workforce. Only a small minority continued intensive Torah study. Shimoni cites historian Israel Bartal and sociologist Menachem Friedman, who showed that the 'society of learners' in Israel is a historical innovation made possible by the welfare state and public budgets. He adds that sociologist Nissim Leon shows that even Rabbi Ovadia Yosef did not adopt the insular Lithuanian model. The conclusion: Jewish tradition itself offers a balanced model of study and work, and the mass exemption is not a natural continuation of tradition.