A Looming Crisis Looms in Israel Concerning Haredi Conscription Proposal

A looming political storm over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army is threatening to undermine Israel's government and splitting the nation.

Public opinion on the matter has shifted dramatically in Israel after two years of conflict, and this is now perhaps the most divisive political issue facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Conflict

Politicians are reviewing a piece of legislation to end the exemption given to yeshiva scholars dedicated to yeshiva learning, established when the State of Israel was established in 1948.

That exemption was struck down by the nation's top court in the early 2000s. Temporary arrangements to maintain it were officially terminated by the bench last year, pressuring the government to begin drafting the Haredi sector.

Approximately 24,000 enlistment orders were issued last year, but merely about 1,200 ultra-Orthodox - or Haredi - draftees showed up, according to defense officials presented to lawmakers.

Tensions Boil Over Onto the Streets

Tensions are erupting onto the city centers, with lawmakers now discussing a new legislative proposal to compel ultra-Orthodox men into military service together with other Jewish citizens.

Two Haredi politicians were targeted this month by radical elements, who are incensed with parliament's discussion of the draft legislation.

In a recent incident, a elite police squad had to rescue army police who were targeted by a big group of Haredi men as they tried to arrest a man avoiding service.

These enforcement actions have led to the development of a new alert system dubbed "Emergency Alert" to send out instant alerts through ultra-Orthodox communities and summon protesters to prevent arrests from happening.

"We're a Jewish country," said Shmuel Orbach. "You can't fight against the Jewish faith in a Jewish country. That is untenable."

An Environment Apart

Yet the transformations affecting Israel have not reached the walls of the Torah academy in a Haredi stronghold, an ultra-Orthodox city on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, teenage boys learn in partnerships to discuss the Torah, their distinctive school notebooks standing out against the lines of formal attire and head coverings.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see a significant portion are pursuing religious study," the head of the yeshiva, a senior rabbi, said. "Through religious study, we protect the troops wherever they are. This is how we contribute."

The community holds that continuous prayer and spiritual pursuit protect Israel's armed forces, and are as vital to its defense as its conventional forces. This tenet was endorsed by the nation's leaders in the earlier decades, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he acknowledged that the nation is evolving.

Increasing Public Pressure

The ultra-Orthodox population has grown substantially its proportion of the country's people over the since the state's founding, and now accounts for around one in seven. What began as an exemption for a small number of religious students evolved into, by the beginning of the 2023 war, a cohort of approximately 60,000 men left out of the conscription.

Surveys show backing for ending the exemption is increasing. Research in July revealed that 85% of the broader Jewish public - even almost three-quarters in the Prime Minister's political base - supported sanctions for those who refused a call-up notice, with a clear majority in supporting cutting state subsidies, passports, or the electoral participation.

"It makes me feel there are individuals who reside in this nation without contributing," one military member in Tel Aviv commented.

"In my view, no matter how devout, [it] should be an justification not to perform service your nation," added Gabby. "If you're born here, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to avoid service just to engage in religious study all day."

Perspectives from Inside Bnei Brak

Backing for ending the exemption is also found among religious Jews beyond the Haredi community, like Dorit Barak, who is a neighbor of the seminary and notes religious Zionists who do enlist in the army while also studying Torah.

"I am frustrated that ultra-Orthodox people don't enlist," she said. "It's unfair. I also believe in the Torah, but there's a saying in Jewish tradition - 'The Book and the Sword' – it means the scripture and the defense together. That's the way forward, until the days of peace."

She runs a small memorial in her city to soldiers from the area, both religious and secular, who were lost in conflict. Long columns of images {