Noam Gur is sitting in a military prison for refusing to be drafted. If she was willing to pretend to be an Orthodox woman, she’d be home scot-free.
Noam Gur, a conscientious objector, was imprisoned twice so far since refusing to serve in the IDF. She is likely to be tried and jailed again soon. She was forced to wear a uniform, and she faced difficulties receiving the vegan food she requires while in jail.
This rare example of a young person’s courage in the face of an oppressive system is tainted with irony, when you recall that women who do not want to serve in the army can avoid conscription rather easily: all they have to do is state they are observant Orthodox Jews and that military service does not fit their way of life. And that’s it: a small lie and it’s over. The religious parties make certain the Green Beast’s ability to corroborate this statement would be minimal.
So, if your conscience forbids you from serving in the IDF, the system will put its whole weight against you and try to break you. If, on the other hand, you say your imaginary friend forbids you to – even though your relationship has long been in the “it’s complicated” region, and you’re contemplating a restraining order against him – you just slip away. That’s life for you in the Jewish State pretending to be democratic: there is no conscience, there are only religious edicts.
Read also:
J’accuse: Israeli youth headed to prison for refusing the draft
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the other joe
Honest people are often refused CO status.
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Noam is not forgotten.
Dena Shunra
Support for Noam can be sent via the Shministim website – here http://december18th.org/2012/04/18/conscientious-objector-noam-gur-sentenced-to-prison-for-her-refusal-to-join-the-israeli-army/ – apparently she’s not getting physical mail, but the attorneys can get emails in to her.
sh
It’s a bit like the people who arrive in Israel to visit the West Bank, isn’t it. Tell the security people you’re going to TA and you can do as you please. Tell them Ramallah and you’re out on your ear.
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We’re living in a country that cannot tolerate honesty.
Tsipi
Both of the standards you point out are actually not that different: they are essentially mechanisms of control over women (but not only women). On the religious side it is protecting women as possessions, which must be sheltered from the vile libertine atmosphere of the army, of coming in contact with men, and also to make sure that time is not wasted instead of finding a proper kind of male to mate with and bring more children of the proper kind into Jewish household.
The other side is a policing of nationalistic ideological conformity. Meaning, you can either conform to the demographic/religious/ideological patriarchal control, or the nationalistic/ideological patriarchal control.
For women, this is hardly an attractive variety of choices.
XYZ
As a religious father of daughters, I can tell you that my daughters (some of whom are married) would say that you don’t know what you are talking about and you don’t speak for them (BTW-all my adult daughters are university educated including Hebrew University).
sh
“there is no conscience, there are only religious edicts.” – YG
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“Both of the standards you point out are actually not that different: they are essentially mechanisms of control over women (but not only women). ” Tsipi
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Depending on what bee’s in your bonnet, one person’s religious edict is another person’s mechanism of control over women. I s’pose that makes the culture of dishonesty culture my bee. It’s the spoonful of sugar that helps those who represent us by virtue of our democratic vote go down just like Mary Poppins’s medicine. Just watch us vote the same people in, in Sep.., erm…. 2013.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8VHc49ZdP4
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Until we wean ourselves off our addiction, courage to those who, like Noam, buck the trend.
annie
xyz, in what way do you image yossi is speaking for your daughters?
annie
should read ‘imagine’, not ‘image’.
XYZ
Annie-
Sorry I didn’t make myself clear, I was referring to Tzipi’s odd comments.
She doesn’t seem to believe that people can think for themselves. In this modern age, no one is forced to adopt a religious lifestyle, and if fact, many don’t. Those who do are not necessarily stupid robots responding to some sort of remote control mechanism.
XYZ
I, for one, do not understand forcing people into the military that don’t want to be there. I asked someone why they put people like that in jail and his answer was that if they simply let anyone out who didn’t want to be there, those who do go could end up feeling like “freiers” (i.e. patsys). Forcing people who don’t want to be in the army would seem to bring people in who would not work in the system in any event and could end up demoralizing others. In fact, the Torah says this and says those who do not want to fight should not be forced to.
sh
“In fact, the Torah says this and says those who do not want to fight should not be forced to.”
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It’s commonsense too. Which is also why exemptions should not be restricted to the religious while people like Noam are imprisoned.
Kibbutznik
“We’re living in a country that cannot tolerate honesty.”
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oh sh , coming from you thats pure hypocrisy
are you not the one that called Shulamit Aloni a liar ?
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BTW your English cousin that shares so much with you including place of birth plus the orthodox education and english upbringing is showing his true colors …
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http://www.politicalstew.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=108447
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dont expect you to defend us sh
we expect you to go along with his BS and lies
its what you have always done …