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A gathering crisis over conscripting Haredi men into the military is jeopardizing Israel's government and splitting the state.

The public mood on the question has changed profoundly in Israel following two years of war, and this is now arguably the most volatile political challenge facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Battle

Lawmakers are currently considering a proposal to terminate the deferment given to Haredi students dedicated to full-time religious study, instituted when the modern Israel was founded in 1948.

This arrangement was struck down by the Supreme Court in the early 2000s. Temporary arrangements to continue it were finally concluded by the bench last year, forcing the government to begin drafting the community.

Roughly 24,000 enlistment orders were sent out last year, but only around 1,200 Haredi conscripts enlisted, according to defense officials shared with lawmakers.

Friction Spill Into Public View

Strains are boiling over onto the streets, with elected officials now deliberating a new legislative proposal to force yeshiva students into army duty in the same way as other secular Israelis.

Two representatives were harassed this month by hardline activists, who are incensed with the Knesset's deliberations of the draft legislation.

In a recent incident, a special Border Police unit had to extract enforcement personnel who were attacked by a big group of Haredi men as they tried to arrest a man avoiding service.

Such incidents have led to the development of a new communication network called "Dark Alert" to spread word quickly through the religious sector and mobilize activists to stop detentions from taking place.

"Israel is a Jewish nation," stated an activist. "It's impossible to battle the Jewish faith in a nation founded on Jewish identity. That is untenable."

An Environment Separate

Yet the transformations affecting Israel have not yet breached the environment of the religious seminary in Bnei Brak, an Haredi enclave on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, scholars learn in partnerships to debate Jewish law, their brightly coloured notepads standing out against the seats of light-colored shirts and head coverings.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see a significant portion are pursuing religious study," the dean of the yeshiva, a senior rabbi, explained. "Through religious study, we shield the troops in the field. This is our army."

Haredi Jews maintain that unceasing devotion and religious study protect Israel's soldiers, and are as vital to its defense as its tanks and air force. That belief was acknowledged by previous governments in the previous eras, he said, but he acknowledged that the nation is evolving.

Rising Societal Anger

The ultra-Orthodox population has more than doubled its percentage of the nation's citizens over the last seventy years, and now represents a sizable minority. A policy that originated as an deferment for a small number of yeshiva attendees became, by the start of the 2023 war, a group of approximately 60,000 men not subject to the conscription.

Surveys show support for ending the exemption is growing. A poll in July showed that an overwhelming percentage of non-Haredi Jews - including a large segment in Netanyahu's own right-wing Likud party - backed consequences for those who declined a enlistment summons, with a clear majority in favor of withdrawing benefits, travel documents, or the franchise.

"I feel there are citizens who live in this country without serving," one serviceman in Tel Aviv commented.

"It is my belief, no matter how devout, [it] should be an reason not to perform service your nation," said Gabby. "Being a native, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to exempt yourself just to study Torah all day."

Views from Within Bnei Brak

Advocacy of broadening conscription is also coming from observant Jews outside the Haredi community, like one local resident, who lives near the academy and highlights religious Zionists who do enlist in the army while also studying Torah.

"It makes me angry that this community don't perform military service," she said. "This creates inequality. I also believe in the Jewish law, but there's a proverb in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it represents the Torah and the guns together. This is the correct approach, until the messianic era."

She maintains a small memorial in Bnei Brak to soldiers from the area, both from all backgrounds, who were lost in conflict. Lines of photographs {