or the millions of other Jews who served their respective countries ever questioned the nature of this service. Patriotism had quietly replaced any philosophical or halakhic considerations. Were we simply caught up in the nationalistic fervor of the last two centuries?
As Jews we had no honored fighting tradition, no military heroes, and most had never handled a weapon. Hunting had no appeal. Suddenly we became soldiers and accepted the honors which came with soldiering. This happened unexpectedly as so much else in the process of Emancipation. However, why did this occur without the slightest religious discussion or basis in the halakhic tradition. Warfare and soldiering had long ago been relegated to the periphery of our religious concerns. The great codifications of Jewish law hardly mention it.”
Only the creation of the State of Israel brought a change. Military service was essential for the existence of the new state and wars followed in rapid succession. The Orthodox community approached this most reluctantly. It sought and received general exemptions from military service for its young men- a source of much bitterness in Israel which has only been corrected in a very limited way.’ The underlying religious questions about warfare have not been settled. The studies and guides for the Israeli soldier deal with the religious issues for military personnel in the Israeli forces and in the various Israeli wars. They do not deal with Jewish military service in the diaspora armies.
These Israeli issues will not be discussed in this paper. It limits itself to a Jewish understanding of Jewish military service in the modern nation states in which most Jews live. Jews have accepted their responsibility as soldiers along with every one else willingly and often with enthusiasm. As the practical and theological path of Judaism has always found expression through the halakhah. What does the halakhah say about soldiering in national armies and modern national warfare. How has this been incorporated into our modern Jewish religious views. Does this represent a radical departure from an age old tradition or is it simply an adaptation to new circumstances?