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A new proposal to radically destabilize Israel

JL;DR SUMMARY Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition is considering a controversial law, "Basic Law: Torah Study," which equates full-time Torah study to military service in terms of national contribution. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

NetanyahuTorah StudyIsraeli PoliticsKnessetHaredi CommunityMilitary ServiceBasic LawYeshiva StudentsNational ServiceSocial Divide

Places mentioned

Israel
"Yet even as the rage mounts, the governing coalition is trying to find legislative ways to formalize the draft exemptions to appease Netanyahus Haredi coalition partners, without whom he would lose his tenuous majority."
Jerusalem, Israel
"The proposed Basic Law: Torah Study, which passed its first of four Knesset votes on Wednesday, seeks to elevate full-time Torah study within Israels Basic Laws framework, a de facto constitution."
New York City, New York, United States
"The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward."

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Cairo Item ID 84563
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2026-06-11 05:30:52 UTC
Curated 2026-06-11 08:31:12 UTC