Military exemption for Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jews under scrutiny
The Supreme Court of Israel has notified the state that the exemption of military service for the ultra-Orthodox has been abolished effective April 1.
Israel's health and interior minister, Moshe Arbel, does not mince words when it comes to the thorny issue of exempting the country's ultra-Orthodox Jews -- also known as the Haredim -- from serving in the military.
"The post-October 7 reality is such that the ultra-Orthodox community must understand that it is no longer morally acceptable to continue like this," said Arbel, a member of the ultra-Orthodox political party Shas. In an April 11 television interview, he said he generally agrees with the exemption, but not for Haredi men who do not study the Torah.
Students from Talmudic schools who originate from ultra-Orthodox Haredi backgrounds, due to their strict lifestyles and regular study of religious texts, are exempt from Israel's otherwise compulsory military service.
But since October 7 and the mobilization of Israeli army reservists, the exemption has faced significant opposition within Israeli society. Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv in mid-March, demanding that the ultra-Orthodox community "share the burden" of the war.
The Supreme Court of Israel has taken up the issue and informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government that the military exemption would end on April 1. The government is currently trying to draft a new law to extend the exemption.
The issue is thorny and highly political. The end of the exemption could jeopardize the political support of the Sephardic Shas party and the Ashkenazi United Torah Judaism party, which remain the main allies of the government coalition. For these parties, the reason for military exemption is primarily religious. According to a statement from Shas, "the matter of the conscription law and the status of yeshiva students is exclusively entrusted to the rabbis of the Council of Sages of the Torah", a rabbinical council with special authority.
An incompatible religious way of life
The end of the exemption challenges the religious way of life of Haredi Jewish communities, which are based on a commandment: "This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night" (Joshua 1:8). For them, the deepening of knowledge and interpretations of the Torah contributes concretely to progress in the world. According to the Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the military successes of the Israeli army would never come "without the Torah, without the yeshivas".
With military service requiring social mixing between the sexes, the situation appears incompatible with the way of life of Haredi Jews. Their men are dedicated to study, while their women are responsible for organizing all practical and domestic life with humility and modesty.
This rejection of military service is also fueled by a particular heritage – that of the complex relationship between the ultra-Orthodox communities and the State of Israel. While they sought refuge there after World War II, ultra-Orthodox communities do not recognize the Zionist project. On the contrary, they see the formation of a Jewish State as a sign of the coming of the Messiah, which should not be "hastened" at all costs. This relationship has greatly evolved ever since Israel's territorial gains during the Six-Day War in 1967, the advent of messianic Zionism, and the entry of ultra-Orthodox parties into politics.
The legacy of a complex relationship with the State of Israel
Despite religious concerns, the exemption that was granted to 400 young men at the time of Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, now applies to 66,000 men aged 18-26. Ultra-Orthodox Jews now make up about 14 percent of the Jewish population. What once appeared to be a favor granted to a minority in 1945 has now become a major issue for Israeli society, which has been on high alert since October 7.
The ultra-Orthodox news site Kikar Hashabbat reports that ultra-Orthodox parties are negotiating with Netanyahu's government for a compromise to enlist 25 percent of young Haredi men as early as next year. Currently, more than 3,000 young ultra-Orthodox Jews have joined the army since the Hamas attack. Some have joined the Netsah Yehouda unit, specifically designed to provide a training environment in line with the Haredi way of life.
Immediately following the interior minister's statements on April 11, several thousand ultra-Orthodox Jews who oppose military service held a demonstration in Jerusalem.