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A looming political storm over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military is posing a risk to the administration and fracturing the state.

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

The Judicial Battle

Legislators are now debating a draft bill to end the deferment granted to ultra-Orthodox men dedicated to yeshiva learning, instituted when the State of Israel was established in 1948.

This arrangement was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the early 2000s. Stopgap solutions to continue it were officially terminated by the judiciary last year, pressuring the government to begin drafting the community.

Roughly 24,000 draft notices were sent out last year, but only around 1,200 Haredi conscripts enlisted, according to army data presented to lawmakers.

Friction Erupt Onto the Streets

Tensions are erupting onto the city centers, with elected officials now deliberating a new legislative proposal to compel ultra-Orthodox men into army duty in the same way as other Jewish citizens.

A pair of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were confronted this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are furious with parliament's discussion of the bill.

Recently, a specialized force had to rescue army police who were surrounded by a large crowd of Haredi men as they tried to arrest a alleged conscription dodger.

Such incidents have prompted the establishment of a new communication network called "Emergency Alert" to spread word quickly through the religious sector and summon activists to block enforcement from taking place.

"We're a Jewish country," said Shmuel Orbach. "You can't fight against the Jewish faith in a Jewish country. That is untenable."

A World Apart

However the shifts affecting Israel have not yet breached the confines of the Torah academy in a Haredi stronghold, an religious community on the edge of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, scholars learn in partnerships to discuss Jewish law, their distinctive notepads contrasting with the lines of white shirts and small black kippahs.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see half the guys are engaged in learning," the leader of the seminary, a senior rabbi, explained. "Through religious study, we safeguard the military personnel in the field. This constitutes our service."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that constant study and spiritual pursuit guard Israel's military, and are as vital to its military success as its advanced weaponry. This tenet was endorsed by Israel's politicians in the previous eras, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he admitted that the nation is evolving.

Growing Societal Anger

This religious sector has more than doubled its percentage of the nation's citizens over the last seventy years, and now accounts for around one in seven. A policy that originated as an deferment for a small number of yeshiva attendees became, by the onset of the 2023 war, a group of some 60,000 men exempt from the draft.

Opinion polls show approval of drafting the Haredim is increasing. Research in July revealed that an overwhelming percentage of non-Haredi Jews - including almost three-quarters in Netanyahu's own right-wing Likud party - supported penalties for those who refused a enlistment summons, with a firm majority in supporting removing privileges, travel documents, or the franchise.

"I feel there are citizens who live in this country without giving anything back," one military member in Tel Aviv explained.

"In my view, regardless of piety, [it] should be an reason not to go and serve your state," said a young woman. "Being a native, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to opt out just to engage in religious study all day."

Views from Within the Community

Backing for broadening conscription is also expressed by observant Jews beyond the Haredi community, like one local resident, who is a neighbor of the academy and notes non-Haredi religious Jews who do serve in the military while also engaging in religious study.

"It makes me angry that this community don't serve in the army," she said. "It's unfair. I am also committed to the Jewish law, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'Safra and Saifa' – it signifies the scripture and the defense together. This is the correct approach, until the messianic era."

Ms Barak maintains a small memorial in her city to fallen servicemen, both observant and non-observant, who were lost in conflict. Rows of images {