Military Service Status of Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel

According to a statement from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav GallantThis morning, Gallant met with Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and other officials to discuss the recruitment of religious Jews. Following a meeting with Halevi and other officials, Gallant approved the Israeli army’s recommendation to allow ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews to enlist in the military starting in August. Gallant and Halevi stressed that the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox Jews was “an operational necessity and a complex social issue,” and stated that ultra-Orthodox soldiers should be allowed to “maintain their lifestyle.”

Ultra-Orthodox Jews Debate Conscription

Israeli secular parties have been calling for religious Jews to shoulder the burden of the war, especially as attacks on Gaza continue and the risk of conflict with Lebanon’s Hezbollah in the north increases. Haredi parties such as Shas, led by Arya Deri and United Torah Judaism, led by Moshe Gafni, which are coalition partners in Netanyahu’s government, have been strongly opposed to the drafting of religious people. The main opposition leader, Yair Lapid, has supported the Supreme Court’s ruling that there is no legal basis for exempting ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from compulsory military service and that those who are fit for military service should be drafted.

Supreme Court Rules to Exempt Ultra-Orthodox Jews from Military Service

On June 25, the Israeli Supreme Court unanimously ruled that there was no legal basis for exempting ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from compulsory military service and that those who were fit for military service should be drafted. The ruling also stated that those who were not drafted would not be eligible for publicly funded social welfare and education benefits. The decision that Haredi men must perform military service is expected to have political and social consequences.