A Crisis Looms in Israel Regarding Haredi Military Draft Proposal

An impending crisis over enlisting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military is posing a risk to the administration and splitting the country.

Popular sentiment on the matter has undergone a sea change in Israel after two years of hostilities, and this is now arguably the most explosive political issue facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Judicial Battle

Politicians are currently considering a proposal to abolish the deferment given to ultra-Orthodox men enrolled in yeshiva learning, instituted when the the nation was established in 1948.

That exemption was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court almost 20 years ago. Temporary arrangements to maintain it were officially terminated by the court last year, pressuring the government to start enlisting the ultra-Orthodox population.

Approximately 24,000 draft notices were issued last year, but merely about 1,200 Haredi conscripts enlisted, according to military testimony presented to lawmakers.

Friction Spill Into Violence

Tensions are erupting onto the city centers, with lawmakers now discussing a new draft bill to require yeshiva students into army duty in the same way as other Israeli Jews.

Two representatives were targeted this month by hardline activists, who are furious with the Knesset's deliberations of the bill.

And last week, a specialized force had to rescue army police who were surrounded by a big group of community members as they sought to apprehend a man avoiding service.

These arrests have prompted the establishment of a new communication network dubbed "Dark Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through ultra-Orthodox communities and summon protesters to block enforcement from happening.

"This is a Jewish state," said an activist. "It's impossible to battle the Jewish faith in a Jewish country. It is a contradiction."

An Environment Apart

However the shifts affecting Israel have not reached the confines of the Kisse Rahamim yeshiva in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, teenage boys learn in partnerships to debate Jewish law, their brightly coloured writing books standing out against the rows of white shirts and traditional skullcaps.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see half the guys are studying Torah," the dean of the seminary, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, noted. "By studying Torah, we protect the soldiers wherever they are. This constitutes our service."

The community holds that continuous prayer and Torah learning protect Israel's soldiers, and are as crucial to its military success as its advanced weaponry. This conviction was endorsed by Israel's politicians in the past, he said, but he conceded that Israel was changing.

Increasing Societal Anger

The ultra-Orthodox population has significantly increased its proportion of Israel's population over the since the state's founding, and now accounts for a sizable minority. An exemption that started as an exception for a small number of religious students became, by the beginning of the 2023 war, a body of tens of thousands of men not subject to the conscription.

Surveys show backing for ultra-Orthodox conscription is growing. Research in July found that a large majority of secular and traditional Jews - even a large segment in the Prime Minister's political base - favored consequences for those who ignored a enlistment summons, with a solid consensus in approving withdrawing benefits, travel documents, or the right to vote.

"It makes me feel there are individuals who are part of this country without serving," one military member in Tel Aviv explained.

"It is my belief, no matter how devout, [it] should be an justification not to go and serve your state," said Gabby. "If you're born here, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to exempt yourself just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Perspectives from the Heart of Bnei Brak

Support for extending the draft is also found among traditional Jews outside the ultra-Orthodox sector, like Dorit Barak, who resides close to the yeshiva and points to non-Haredi religious Jews who do serve in the military while also maintaining their faith.

"I'm very angry that this community don't enlist," she said. "This creates inequality. I too follow the Jewish law, but there's a teaching in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it represents the scripture and the weapons together. That's the way forward, until the days of peace."

Ms Barak maintains a modest remembrance site in her city to fallen servicemen, both religious and secular, who were fallen in war. Long columns of photographs {