An impending political storm over enlisting Haredi men into the Israeli army is posing a risk to the administration and dividing the state.
Popular sentiment on the question has shifted dramatically in Israel after two years of war, and this is now perhaps the most volatile political risk facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Judicial Conflict
Politicians are now debating a piece of legislation to terminate the special status granted to Haredi students engaged in yeshiva learning, established when the modern Israel was established in 1948.
The deferment was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court two decades ago. Temporary arrangements to continue it were finally concluded by the bench last year, pressuring the government to commence conscription of the community.
Some 24,000 enlistment orders were delivered last year, but merely about 1,200 Haredi conscripts enlisted, according to army data given to lawmakers.
Friction Spill Into Violence
Strains are boiling over onto the streets, with lawmakers now deliberating a new legislative proposal to force Haredi males into military service in the same way as other secular Israelis.
Two representatives were harassed this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are furious with the Knesset's deliberations of the proposed law.
In a recent incident, a special Border Police unit had to rescue enforcement personnel who were surrounded by a big group of ultra-Orthodox protesters as they attempted to detain a man avoiding service.
Such incidents have led to the development of a new messaging system called "Dark Alert" to send out instant alerts through ultra-Orthodox communities and summon demonstrators to prevent arrests from occurring.
"This is a Jewish state," remarked an activist. "One cannot oppose Judaism in a Jewish country. It doesn't work."
A World Separate
But the transformations affecting Israel have not yet breached the confines of the religious seminary in a Haredi stronghold, an ultra-Orthodox city on the edge of Tel Aviv.
Inside the classroom, scholars learn in partnerships to analyze Judaism's religious laws, their vividly colored notepads standing out against the lines of formal attire and head coverings.
"Come at one in the morning, and you will see half the guys are engaged in learning," the head of the academy, the spiritual guide, noted. "Via dedicated learning, we protect the military personnel wherever they are. This constitutes our service."
Ultra-Orthodox believe that unceasing devotion and spiritual pursuit protect Israel's soldiers, and are as crucial to its security as its advanced weaponry. This conviction was accepted by previous governments in the earlier decades, the rabbi said, but he acknowledged that the nation is evolving.
Increasing Public Pressure
The Haredi community has more than doubled its share of the country's people over the past seven decades, and now represents a sizable minority. A policy that originated as an exemption for several hundred religious students turned into, by the beginning of the Gaza war, a group of some 60,000 men not subject to the conscription.
Opinion polls suggest approval of ultra-Orthodox conscription is rising. Research in July found that an overwhelming percentage of non-Haredi Jews - including almost three-quarters in the Prime Minister's political base - favored consequences for those who ignored a draft order, with a solid consensus in supporting cutting state subsidies, the right to travel, or the right to vote.
"I feel there are citizens who live in this country without serving," one serviceman in Tel Aviv commented.
"I don't think, regardless of piety, [it] should be an excuse not to go and serve your state," stated a young woman. "If you're born here, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to avoid service just to learn in a yeshiva all day."
Views from the Heart of the Community
Advocacy of ending the exemption is also expressed by religious Jews not part of the ultra-Orthodox sector, like a Bnei Brak inhabitant, who resides close to the academy and notes religious Zionists who do serve in the military while also engaging in religious study.
"I am frustrated that ultra-Orthodox people don't perform military service," she said. "It is unjust. I am also committed to the Jewish law, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it signifies the Torah and the weapons together. This is the correct approach, until the arrival of peace."
The resident runs a small memorial in Bnei Brak to local soldiers, both religious and secular, who were lost in conflict. Rows of images {
