The statements of the Chief Rabbi of Sephardic Jews in Israel, Yitzhak Yosef, regarding the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim), have caused a storm of reactions in the Israeli political sphere. Yosef threatened that if the Haredim are forced into military service, they all will leave Israel. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said, „if they travel abroad, they will discover that there are Haredim who work to earn a living and know that no one will fund them,” adding that “the Haredim who are of the appropriate age for conscription are exactly what the Israeli army currently lacks, and we must enlist them.” In a tweet on his ‘X’ platform account, Lapid said, “We in the government will not allow to send soldiers to Gaza while we all bear the same burden,” adding, „those who will not perform military service will not receive money from the state.”
On his part, Israeli War Council Minister Benny Gantz said on the X platform, „after two thousand years of exile, we returned to our country, we will fight for it and will never give it up.” The leader of the “State Camp” party added that Rabbi Yosef’s words “are a moral harm to the state and the Israeli society,” demanding “everyone to participate in the sacred right of military service and struggle for our country especially in this difficult time, including our Haredi brothers as well.” The statements by the Chief Rabbi of the Sephardic Jews were criticized by the ruling coalition. The “Religious Zionism” party, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, said, “Military service is a great commandment. We are grateful for the honor of serving the people of Israel through studying the Torah and assisting Israel in times of need.” He pointed out that “after two thousand years of exile, we will never leave our land,” adding that “the public that wishes to give its life for the land of Israel will never abandon it under any circumstances.” Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the “Yisrael Beiteinu” party, said that “it’s a shame that Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef and the Haredim continue to harm Israel’s security and act against Jewish law.”
The Israeli government seeks to pass a bill that exempts the Haredim from military service and increases the duration of mandatory service from 32 months to 36 months, applying this also to currently enlisted soldiers.
The Haredim are ultra-Orthodox Jews who believe they should have special privileges, which has angered other Israeli groups that believe all Israeli groups should be equal under the law regardless of their religious or political orientations. Israeli law requires every Israeli who turns 18 to serve 32 months in the military, while women serve for 24 months. This has led Israeli groups to file a lawsuit against exempting the Haredim from military service, and the Israeli Supreme Court has been considering the matter since last February. The crisis of Haredi conscription began during the era of David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, who exempted them from conscription, under the pretext that they were occupied with studying the Torah. The Haredim represent about 13% of Israel’s population, and due to their belief in the importance of procreation, this percentage is expected to continue to rise significantly in the coming years. The term “Haredi” comes from the word meaning “one who trembles” in reverence.
The Israeli government is working on passing a bill that would exempt ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim) from military service, extending the mandatory service duration from 32 to 36 months. This extension would also apply to currently serving conscripts.
The Haredim are primarily found in Israel and the United States, with some presence in a few European countries. They adhere to ancient Judaism and its rituals, with each group having a rabbi as a religious authority. Haredim are distinguished by their black clothing, considering the wearing of a black hat or cap a mandatory practice that cannot be disregarded for any reason, along with growing sidelocks and beards. They refuse conscription, claiming their need to continue studying and teaching Torah lessons, which they believe is crucial for the survival of Israel, more so than military service.
Israel has two chief rabbis, one representing the Sephardic Jews and the other the Ashkenazi Jews, known as the Chief Rabbis. Each serves a ten-year term in an election involving 150 individuals, including rabbis, mayors, local council heads, ministers, and Knesset members. Typically, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi is from the “Shas” religious party, while the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi is from the “United Torah Judaism” party alliance, both of which are part of Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government.
Clashes broke out between the Israeli police and protesters against the mandatory conscription law in the Bnei Brak Salama area east of Tel Aviv, amid a severe coalition crisis facing Netanyahu’s government, considered the most severe since its formation, due to disagreements over exempting religious seminary students from military service. Protesters demanded the repeal of the law exempting seminary students from military service, arguing it discriminates against secular citizens and deepens divisions within Israeli society. The Israeli government opposes repealing the conscription law, emphasizing the importance of military service for all citizens to maintain state security.
In June 2023, Netanyahu’s government passed a resolution ordering the Israeli military not to conscript students from ultra-Orthodox religious seminaries for nine months, until a new law could be drafted. This resolution’s effectiveness will end at the end of March. The temporary order issued by the government expires on March 31, and if a law addressing the issue is not introduced in the Knesset by that time, the military will have to start conscripting the Haredim as early as April 1. According to the Supreme Court’s decision, the government must, between March 24 and 31, present its response to why it has not canceled its decision to exempt religious Israelis from mandatory military service. The Israeli Supreme Court has considered petitions calling for the government to conscript students of Jewish religious schools into the army. In 2017, the court deemed the comprehensive exemptions from military service for students of ultra-Orthodox religious schools “discriminatory and illegal.”
Recently, the military revealed plans to extend the mandatory service duration for conscripts and delay the retirement of some reserve soldiers while increasing the number of mandatory service days they must complete annually. This has sparked widespread political controversy and public uproar. For years, there have been repeated attempts to pass a law for the conscription of the religious, but it has been postponed. One of the conditions set by the “Shas” and “United Torah Judaism” parties for joining Netanyahu’s government was the prevention of such a law. Netanyahu said, „regarding conscription, I highly value the Torah study by our Haredi brothers and recognize and appreciate their enrollment in civil emergency and relief organizations that perform sacred work. But on this matter, I must also say that the prevailing public sentiment of a gap in sharing the security burden cannot be ignored.”
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