Israel stuff…
Anybody have any sense of how widespread the sentiment is among IDF soldiers to refuse to obey orders to forcibly evacuate Jews from Gaza? Is it a bluff?
Israeli soldiers are – by military code – not supposed to follow orders they deem immoral or illegal. Any thoughts on the propriety of giving the order to evacuate/provoking soldiers to refuse such an order?
The topic you broached, the disengagement plan, will be the subject of
of a conference at Bar Ilan Univ. on Tuesday (23 bTevet). “The Disangagement Plan: Democracy versus Halakha?” (4-8 pm, Feldman Bldg) should be interesting because it features speakers from many sides (Effie Eitam, Yedidya Stern, Rabbis Daniel Shiloh, Yoval Sherlo, Yaakov Blidstein & others).I am bothered by the title they gave this conference – as if it is Democracy and Halakha may be mutually exclusive.
Of course Halacha and Democracy are to some extent mutually exclusive. How do you propose to explain the Halacha that a Goy can never hold a position of power (or even an administrative position) over a Jew. Or the laws forbidding most gentiles from living in the land of Israel unless they accept special taxes and servitude. Lets not kid ourselves, democracy is fine as long as it is limited to a method of governing. The moment it becomes a value system that is not checked by Torah law, it becomes nothing less than avodah zara.