Rabbi Tzvi Friedman, leader of the extremist Peleg Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Faction), met today with two Brothers in Arms activists who came to his home to discuss recruitment of haredim to the IDF.
The rabbi spoke harshly and made it clear that it was better to die than to enlist. This is an extremist faction in the haredi sector that often demonstrates and blocks roads.
He said he would rather have his family murdered than be secular. "I'll tell you something. You will be surprised to hear this. I have five daughters and three sons and about 30 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. If asked what I prefer, that Arabs kill them or that they become secular, I would prefer the former option."
Rabbi Friedman explained that "secularism for us is beyond death. It is much more serious. There is no solution. Being in such a secular army is worse for us than Shabbat and kashrut and all things. It is better to eat pork and not be in a place of the secular society."
He added, after Brothers in Arms activists questioned his remarks: "To us secular people are a subculture, they are the biggest retardation. They are a crime, worse than death."
In conclusion, he said that "it would have been better for us to stay with the British Mandate than with the secular ones." The activists asked why it was not preferable to have secular Jews "who are at least Jews," to which the rabbi replied emphatically: "We have no such thing as Jews at least."