A Crisis Approaches in Israel Over Ultra-Orthodox Military Draft Legislation

A gathering political storm over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army is jeopardizing Israel's government and splitting the state.

Public opinion on the matter has undergone a sea change in Israel following two years of war, and this is now possibly the most volatile political challenge facing the Prime Minister.

The Legal Battle

Legislators are now debating a proposal to terminate the exemption granted to Haredi students engaged in Torah study, created when the the nation was declared in 1948.

The deferment was struck down by the nation's top court in the early 2000s. Interim measures to extend it were formally ended by the judiciary last year, pressuring the administration to commence conscription of the Haredi sector.

Approximately 24,000 enlistment orders were issued last year, but only around 1,200 men from the community reported for duty, according to defense officials given to lawmakers.

Friction Erupt Onto the Streets

Strains are boiling over onto the public squares, with elected officials now deliberating a new draft bill to compel yeshiva students into national service together with other secular Israelis.

Two representatives were targeted this month by hardline activists, who are incensed with the legislative debate of the draft legislation.

In a recent incident, a specialized force had to assist enforcement personnel who were targeted by a sizeable mob of community members as they sought to apprehend a alleged conscription dodger.

These arrests have led to the development of a new messaging system called "Black Alert" to spread word quickly through Haredi neighborhoods and summon protesters to stop detentions from happening.

"Israel is a Jewish nation," said Shmuel Orbach. "One cannot oppose Judaism in a Jewish country. It is a contradiction."

An Environment Set Aside

However the transformations affecting Israel have not reached the environment of the Kisse Rahamim yeshiva in a Haredi stronghold, an ultra-Orthodox city on the edge of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, young students study together to discuss Judaism's religious laws, their vividly colored notepads contrasting with the seats of formal attire and head coverings.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see many of the students are engaged in learning," the head of the academy, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, noted. "Via dedicated learning, we protect the troops in the field. This is how we contribute."

The community holds that constant study and religious study guard Israel's armed forces, and are as crucial to its defense as its advanced weaponry. This tenet was acknowledged by Israel's politicians in the previous eras, the rabbi said, but he admitted that public attitudes are shifting.

Growing Societal Anger

This religious sector has more than doubled its share of the country's people over the past seven decades, and now accounts for 14%. What began as an exception for a small number of Torah scholars became, by the start of the 2023 war, a group of some 60,000 men not subject to the conscription.

Polling data suggest backing for ultra-Orthodox conscription is increasing. A survey in July found that a large majority of secular and traditional Jews - encompassing almost three-quarters in the Prime Minister's political base - backed penalties for those who declined a draft order, with a firm majority in favor of removing privileges, travel documents, or the right to vote.

"It makes me feel there are people who live in this country without giving anything back," one military member in Tel Aviv said.

"In my view, however religious you are, [it] should be an reason not to perform service your state," stated a young woman. "Being a native, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to opt out just to engage in religious study all day."

Voices from Inside a Religious City

Support for extending the draft is also expressed by religious Jews beyond the Haredi community, like one local resident, who resides close to the yeshiva and notes non-Haredi religious Jews who do perform national service while also studying Torah.

"I am frustrated that this community don't enlist," she said. "It is unjust. I too follow the Jewish law, but there's a teaching in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it signifies the scripture and the guns together. That's the way forward, until the arrival of peace."

Ms Barak maintains a local tribute in her city to local soldiers, both from all backgrounds, who were lost in conflict. Long columns of images {