By V.E.K.Madhushani, Jadetimes News
New Draft Regulations Prompt Protests and Political Tensions
When Israel’s ultra Orthodox, or Haredi, Jewish community gathers in force, it becomes evident just how large it is. Thousands of men and boys dressed in black and white crowded the streets of Mea Shearim, the heart of the ultra Orthodox community in Jerusalem, for an angry protest against the military draft.
This demonstration follows the Supreme Court’s historic ruling that young Haredi men must be conscripted into the Israeli military, ending their eligibility for significant government benefits. Full time students in Jewish seminaries, or yeshivas, argue that their religious lifestyle is at risk, believing their prayers and spiritual learning protect Israel and the Jewish people.
“For 2,000 years we’ve been persecuted, and we’ve survived because we’re learning Torah. Now the Supreme Court wants to remove this from us, and it will cause our destruction,” says Joseph, a yeshiva student. Another student, who withheld his name due to rabbinical restrictions, added, “Going to the army will make a frum religious Jew no longer religious.”
For decades, the role of the ultra Orthodox in Israeli society has been a contentious issue. From a small minority, the community has grown to a million strong, comprising 12.9% of the population. Ultra-Orthodox parties have often acted as kingmakers in Israeli politics, supporting successive governments headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in exchange for maintaining the draft exemption and securing substantial funding for their institutions.
This long standing friction with secular Jewish Israelis, who mostly perform compulsory military service and bear the largest tax burden, has reached a critical point. The army faces unprecedented strain following its longest ever war in Gaza and a potential conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“My son has already been in the reserves for 200 days! How many years do you want him to do? How are you not ashamed?” demanded Mor Shamgar, addressing Israel’s national security adviser at a recent conference. Her frustration about her son's extended service as a tank commander in southern Israel was widely shared on social media.
With army leaders complaining about a shortage of military manpower, Ms. Shamgar who has previously voted for the prime minister’s party believes the government has “handled the situation very poorly,” prioritizing political survival over national interests on the draft issue. “Netanyahu and his gang made a major judgment mistake in thinking they can dodge it,” she says. “This isn't just about secular versus religious; it's about equality. You can't make laws that turn half the population into second class citizens.”
A survey by the Israel Democracy Institute earlier this year indicated that 70% of Israeli Jews want to end the blanket exemptions from military service for the ultra Orthodox. Despite earlier threats, ultra Orthodox parties have not left the governing coalition over army conscription. Efforts continue to advance an older bill, previously rejected by Haredi leaders, that would lead to the partial enlistment of their community.
At an ultra Orthodox synagogue in Jerusalem, men of different ages gather for morning prayers, draped in their prayer shawls. Their conservative way of life is based on a strict interpretation of Jewish law and customs. So far, just one Israeli army battalion, Netzah Yehuda, accommodates ultra Orthodox demands for gender segregation, kosher food, and time for prayers and daily rites.
Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer, who works on integration issues and supports the battalion, believes more compromises are possible and that a new Haredi brigade should be formed. “It's up to the Haredim to come to the table and say, we're ready for real concessions,” he says, suggesting that thousands of young ultra Orthodox men not suited for full time Torah study should be encouraged to join the army like their peers.
For the Israeli military to maintain its reputation as “the People’s Army,” Rabbi Pfeffer calls for building trust and improving relations with the Haredi community. “There are a lot of accommodations needed, but they’re not rocket science,” he comments.
The process of implementing the ultra Orthodox draft appears gradual. More than 60,000 ultra Orthodox men are registered as yeshiva students and have been exempt from military service. Following last week’s Supreme Court ruling, the army has been instructed to draft an additional 3,000 from the community, on top of the approximately 1,500 who already serve, with plans to recruit larger numbers in the coming years.
In Mea Shearim, protests continued into the night, with some demonstrators taking extreme positions, throwing stones at the police and attacking the cars of ultra Orthodox politicians they feel have betrayed them on military conscription. This historically insulated section of society resists change, but amid rising public pressure in Israel and the possibility of widening war, change appears inevitable.
