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A gathering political storm over conscripting Haredi men into the Israeli army is jeopardizing Israel's government and fracturing the nation.

Popular sentiment on the question has changed profoundly in Israel following two years of conflict, and this is now arguably the most volatile political risk facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Constitutional Battle

Legislators are currently considering a piece of legislation to end the special status awarded to ultra-Orthodox men dedicated to Torah study, established when the State of Israel was declared in 1948.

This arrangement was struck down by the nation's top court almost 20 years ago. Stopgap solutions to maintain it were officially terminated by the bench last year, pressuring the government to start enlisting the ultra-Orthodox population.

Some 24,000 enlistment orders were sent out last year, but just approximately 1,200 Haredi conscripts enlisted, according to military testimony shared with lawmakers.

Strains Erupt Into Violence

Strains are boiling over onto the public squares, with lawmakers now deliberating a new legislative proposal to force ultra-Orthodox men into national service in the same way as other Israeli Jews.

A pair of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were harassed this month by hardline activists, who are furious with parliament's discussion of the proposed law.

In a recent incident, a elite police squad had to extract Military Police officers who were attacked by a large crowd of Haredi men as they attempted to detain a man avoiding service.

These enforcement actions have led to the development of a new communication network called "Emergency Alert" to send out instant alerts through ultra-Orthodox communities and call out activists to stop detentions from taking place.

"We're a Jewish country," said one protester. "It's impossible to battle Judaism in a Jewish state. That is untenable."

A Realm Set Aside

However the transformations affecting Israel have not yet breached the environment of the Kisse Rahamim yeshiva in an ultra-Orthodox city, an religious community on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, teenage boys learn in partnerships to debate Judaism's religious laws, their vividly colored notepads contrasting with the seats of formal attire and small black kippahs.

"Visit in the early hours, and you will see half the guys are studying Torah," the head of the yeshiva, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, explained. "Through religious study, we protect the military personnel wherever they are. This is how we contribute."

Haredi Jews maintain that constant study and religious study guard Israel's soldiers, and are as essential to its defense as its tanks and air force. This conviction was accepted by Israel's politicians in the past, he said, but he conceded that Israel was changing.

Increasing Popular Demand

This religious sector has grown substantially its percentage of Israel's population over the since the state's founding, and now represents around one in seven. What began as an exemption for a small number of yeshiva attendees evolved into, by the beginning of the 2023 war, a cohort of some 60,000 men exempt from the conscription.

Surveys show backing for drafting the Haredim is growing. Research in July found that an overwhelming percentage of secular and traditional Jews - encompassing a significant majority in the Prime Minister's political base - supported consequences for those who declined a draft order, with a firm majority in supporting removing privileges, passports, or the franchise.

"It makes me feel there are individuals who are part of this country without giving anything back," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv commented.

"I don't think, regardless of piety, [it] should be an justification not to fulfill your duty to your country," stated a young woman. "If you're born here, I find it rather absurd that you want to exempt yourself just to engage in religious study all day."

Views from Within a Religious City

Support for ending the exemption is also found among religious Jews not part of the Haredi community, like one local resident, who is a neighbor of the academy and highlights observant but non-Haredi Jews who do perform national service while also studying Torah.

"I am frustrated that this community don't perform military service," she said. "It is unjust. I am also committed to the Torah, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it means the Torah and the defense together. This is the correct approach, until the messianic era."

She manages a modest remembrance site in her city to local soldiers, both religious and secular, who were lost in conflict. Rows of photographs {