[Avodah] Jews at war [was: R' Angel & Geirus Redux]

[Michael Makovi]

> No posek that I've ever heard of ruled that Jews who are citizens of a given
> country must make an independent judgement as to whether their country is
> fighting a just cause before agreeing to be drafted, or must allow
> themselves to be imprisoned or executed as draft dodgers if they are
> unconvinced of their country's justice.  The Chofetz Chaim wrote a sefer for
> Jewish soldiers drafted into whatever army -- it's called Machane Yisrael --
> and afaik it does not say that a Jew must be a draft dodger if he thinks his
> country is wrong.  (OTOH it goes without saying that any Jew who could get
> out of serving in the Russian or Polish army would get out of it -- because
> these armies were rife with anti-Semitism and forced shmad.)
>
> --Toby Katz
> =============

I suppose the logic makes sense, that if drafting is mandatory and you
cannot (safely) dodge, then there's nothing you can do and nothing you
are required to do.

But OTOH, why is there no issue of sacrificing your own life rather than murder?

Mikha'el Makovi