Haredi Jews’ Military Service and Protests
According to the Israeli state television channel KAN, only 30 out of 1,000 Haredi citizens who were summoned to apply to the military office actually applied. One of the main reasons for this low application rate is that a large group of Haredi people protested in front of the military office in the Tel Hashomer area, east of Tel Aviv.
Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews opposed to military conscription gathered in front of the Tel Hashomer military base near Tel Aviv today to make their voices heard. Israeli police detained three Haredim who refused to enlist.
Haredim Make Up About 12 Percent of Israel’s Population
Haredim, who mostly refuse military service on religious grounds, make up about 12% of Israel’s population of 9 million. Most of the country’s Haredi Jews live in the Measherim neighborhood in West Jerusalem and in the city of Bnei Brak, near the capital Tel Aviv.
In Israel, Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, which won the November 1, 2022 elections, includes far-right parties as well as the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties. Haredi Jews, who have many different views on issues with secular Jews, generally refuse to integrate into the rest of society. For this reason, many avoid military service because they believe they will not be able to fulfill the requirements of their religion.
In Israel, the mandatory military service for both men and women is three years. However, Haredim with an ultra-Orthodox faith can be exempted from military service if they study at Torah courses (Yeshivas) until the age of 26. This is seen as an effort to maintain the religious beliefs and values of the Haredi community.
The coalition partners in Israel, the Haredi parties, want to legally guarantee the exemption of the people they represent from military service by passing a bill stating that “Torah education is a fundamental right.”
