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National Service and Politics
Politics has always revolved around National Service.
It didn't directly control it, but it was present in all its formative processes and throughout its existence, in the public discourse surrounding it, and in its operational methods.
Since the establishment of the state and for seven decades, a fundamental debate raged between secularists, who demanded equality in burden-sharing and the enlistment of all religious girls, if not into the army then at least into National Service – and the religious public, who opposed any compulsory enlistment of an 18-year-old girl. This was ostensibly an ideological dispute, but its echoes spilled over into the Knesset, the government table, the streets of major cities, and onto the platforms of speakers at mass conventions. The debate also split within the religious public – between Haredim and National Religious Jews, between those who utterly rejected it and those who sought a compromise.
Beyond the ideological/social discussion, another debate, which didn't attract much attention, was hidden: the enlistment of minorities, Muslims and Christians, into National Service. Occasionally, a Jewish leader would voice a statement in favor of this possibility, but no one took it seriously for decades. The Israeli narrative largely excluded minority groups, and even within their own sectors, there was little approval for any burden-sharing, whether security or civic, that contradicted their national narrative.
Posters For and Against National Service Notices (in Hebrew) for and against National Service from two sectors within the religious community. Right: a Haredi 'Pashkevil' (public notice/poster, typically with a religious or Haredi connotation) against it. Left: a Religious Zionist notice in favor.
Here are a few political milestones in the journey of National Service.
The conception and birth of National Service occurred on the Knesset stage in 1953, when the "National Service Law" was first enacted, obligating every 18-year-old girl who did not enlist in the IDF to enlist in National Service. This was a political birth that led to the law's freezing,
as told here --> in the second chapter of the project.
In the late 1960s, the law began to thaw within the Religious Zionist sector (today's Religious Zionism). The stages of this thaw were accompanied by fierce struggles within the sector, and between it and the Haredi public, who strongly opposed the law.
When National Service officially began in 1971, another political "combinah" was recorded: the establishment of a non-profit organization designed to bypass a government decision to implement the National Service Law through a governmental body. To appease its coalition partners, Prime Minister Golda Meir agreed to allow the establishment of an association, "The Association for Volunteering," which would serve as a voluntary framework for National Service for religious girls. Their service was supervised by representatives of the Religious Zionist sector, not the government, as the government itself had initially decided.
In the 1980s, an attempt was made to take over National Service.
This occurred during the rapid growth era of The Association for Volunteering, in days when all service volunteers came exclusively from the Religious Zionist sector. The Association was a home for thousands of girls who left equipped with institutional recognition. With this recognition, they moved on to the next chapter of their lives, just like any discharged female IDF soldier. And then, when the Association proved that its brand was creating changes in Israeli society – powerful figures within the sector coveted it.
In those years, leaders of the Torani (religious-scholarly) stream (Rabbi Druckman, Rabbi Yitzhak Levi, and others) began to gain positions of power within the party and their public. The Association for Volunteering was another important asset and target for them to conquer. They observed the widespread brand and sensed with their political acumen that thousands of young girls represented an influential social reserve, and control over them was a crucial power position. They stormed the new target.
Initially, rumors and gossip were spread about "religious permissiveness" among girls serving within the Association, and about financial and administrative irregularities. And when the gossip permeated the public and garnered headlines in the Israeli press, a committee was formed "to examine the situation." Among the committee members were rabbis and party activists, and its conclusion was firm and predetermined: National Service was in danger, and a rabbinical council must be established to supervise the nature of the girls' service. They believed the target was easy to conquer, but they didn't know who they were dealing with.
At the head of the Association at the time was Adv. Dov Froman, a member of the moderate stream within the National Religious sector. He founded the Association and managed it throughout the years in his pragmatic way, being careful not to mix politics with the Association's activities. He maintained impartiality and forbade the girls from being involved in any political activity. He always made sure to say that National Service volunteers were Israeli citizens volunteering for the benefit of the entire Jewish People, without any political or sectarian affiliation. Every important speech, every article he wrote, was accompanied by the slogan: "Service to the public by the public for the public." Froman, a Holocaust survivor and a graduate of concentration and extermination camps, was much stronger than they thought. He was a forceful person, usually in the positive sense of the word. The Association was his life's work, and when he detected the trap being laid for him, he quickly mobilized his own forces and repelled the attackers.
Dov Froman, founder of The Association for Volunteering and National Service.
In the 1990s, Frohman resigned from his position, and Rabbi Zephaniah Drori was appointed to manage the Association in his place. Rabbi Drori, a prominent figure in the Torani stream of the National Religious public, encountered meddling from activists and public figures who coveted the National Service enterprise from his very first day. Like his predecessor, he also succeeded in removing those who interfered, but he did so in his unique way: with gentleness and a smile on his face.
During his tenure, National Service underwent a transformation with clear political implications: the exclusivity of National Service for religious girls was abolished, and new service channels were opened to all population sectors – young men and women, religious and secular, Arabs and Druze. The transformation in service is also credited to Rabbi Drori. Despite his affiliation with the Torani stream of Religious Zionism, he did not exploit his position to promote a religious or political agenda. As the Association for Volunteering's guiding figure, he gave the green light to open the Association's ranks to all population sectors – including non-religious boys and girls, Arabs, Christians, and young people with disabilities.
Rabbi Zephaniah Drori
and National Service Volunteers
And what is happening today (2022)?
The Knesset revalidated National Service and enacted the National-Civil Service Law (2018), which allows any Israeli citizen not drafted into the military to fulfill it. To implement and supervise the law's execution, the National-Civil Service Authority was established, which ensures the existence of National Service channels without distinction between boys and girls, sectors and communities, able-bodied or disabled.
But behind the scenes, remnants of a political game persist. The National-Civil Service Authority is permanently subordinate to a government ministry led by a minister from one of the religious parties. If the government changes or a new coalition is formed and the religious party receives an appointment for a different government ministry – the Authority transfers to be subordinate to the new ministry.
The head of the Authority today (2022) is Mr. Reuven Pinsky, who wears a knitted kippah and resides in the settlement of Psagot. While Pinsky is careful to remain impartial, he is a civil servant, a loyal public servant who does not mix lifestyle and political views into the body he heads. Nevertheless, one cannot ignore the fact that both he and his predecessor, Sar-Shalom Jerbi, are both flesh and blood of Religious Zionism, and both are graduates of the sector's Yeshiva-high school education.
Reuven Pinsky – Head of the National-Civil Service Authority as of 2023.
And The Association for Volunteering?
On its fiftieth anniversary, it is realizing its vision: to strengthen the resilience of all Israeli society, without distinction of religion, race, or gender.
This vision was conceived by its CEO, Yaron Lutz, a member of Kibbutz Kfar Etzion.
The CEO led an event attended by the Association's senior staff and all its employees. At the end of the event, a working paper was produced, detailing commitments and practical principles for connecting people for the sake of a just society with equality among all its citizens. Yaron Lutz keeps it free of any political affiliation. For over a decade, he has been mobilizing the Association and its employees to be a social body that is professional and leads the way. A body operating out of a sense of mission and responsibility towards the people and society in Israel. The Association's employees and volunteers work within the National Service framework and in other volunteering channels. The male and female volunteers and all Association employees, junior and senior, belong to all strata and sectors of Israeli society – Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Druze. All have one goal: to strengthen the resilience of Israeli society.
The last remnant that remains political is the composition of the Association's Board of Directors: all members are from Religious Zionism, as has been the case since its establishment. As a non-profit organization, its Board of Directors is the official governing body. It bears legal responsibility for its actions and outlines its policies. From time to time, some raise the possibility of including secular or Arab members on the board. There is still no agreement on this, but recently, on the Association's fiftieth anniversary, the issue has resurfaced.
In 2022, Rabbi Tzfania Drori retired, and in his place, Rabbi Dr. Reuven Tabol was appointed to serve as Chairman of the Association's Board of Directors. In an interview with the author of these lines, he does not dismiss such a possibility outright and believes it has a high feasibility.
Both the CEO and the Chairman of the Board of Directors see eye to eye on the complete disengagement of The Association for Volunteering from any political affiliation.
More on this in the last chapter: "Israeli Snapshots" (by clicking the link).
Leaders of The Association for Volunteering, the foremost organization of National Service. From right:
Rabbi Dr. Reuven Tabol, Rabbi Zephaniah Drori, Yaron Lutz.
And these are the chronicles of National Service and the story of The Association for Volunteering in 7 chapters. Each chapter is on a separate link:
The full story of National Service is based on the book : "The Association for Volunteering - Fifty Years of National Service".
Written in Hebrew and published in Israel Published by The Association for Volunteering (NPO). 2022.
Research, writing, and editing:
Shlomi Rosenfeld
