Standing with the crowd reciting Selichot at the Sanhedria cemetery recently, I got chills down my spine when the Sephardic Chazzan cried out “Anenu, Avi Yetomim Ve’Almanot”. In the context of mandatory conscription to the army and the obvious prey for sector-based (Chareidi) quotas, I could not help but be reminded of a dark segment of our people’s history. Since history repeats itself (with some variations), I took the opportunity to look up R’ Yaakov Lipshitz’s memoirs, Zichron Yaakov (Part one, Chapters 39-51), for a heart-wrenching chronicle of that period from a Jewish perspective. A must-read!
Disclaimer: There is hardly any way to compare the severity of that decree with that of today as regards the challenges facing the forcible conscripts. The association is more about who is to bear the brunt of this wretched Molech/Azazel offering.