A looming political storm over conscripting Haredi men into the Israel Defense Forces is threatening to undermine the governing coalition and splitting the nation.
Public opinion on the question has shifted dramatically in Israel following two years of war, and this is now arguably the most divisive political challenge facing the Prime Minister.
The Judicial Conflict
Lawmakers are reviewing a proposal to abolish the deferment awarded to Haredi students dedicated to yeshiva learning, established when the State of Israel was founded in 1948.
This arrangement was struck down by the Supreme Court almost 20 years ago. Stopgap solutions to maintain it were officially terminated by the bench last year, forcing the government to begin drafting the community.
Approximately 24,000 draft notices were issued last year, but merely about 1,200 Haredi conscripts reported for duty, according to army data given to lawmakers.
Friction Erupt Into Violence
Strains are boiling over onto the city centers, with parliamentarians now deliberating a new draft bill to require ultra-Orthodox men into army duty in the same way as other Israeli Jews.
Two representatives were targeted this month by radical elements, who are enraged with the Knesset's deliberations of the proposed law.
And last week, a specialized force had to rescue Military Police officers who were surrounded by a large crowd of community members as they attempted to detain a suspected draft-evader.
These arrests have sparked the creation of a new communication network named "Black Alert" to send out instant alerts through ultra-Orthodox communities and mobilize demonstrators to stop detentions from occurring.
"We're a Jewish country," said Shmuel Orbach. "One cannot oppose Judaism in a Jewish country. It is a contradiction."
A Realm Apart
But the transformations sweeping across Israel have not reached the environment of the Torah academy in a Haredi stronghold, an Haredi enclave on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
In the learning space, young students learn in partnerships to debate Judaism's religious laws, their vividly colored notepads popping against the seats of white shirts and head coverings.
"Arrive late at night, and you will see a significant portion are studying Torah," the head of the yeshiva, a senior rabbi, explained. "Through religious study, we safeguard the soldiers on the front lines. This is how we contribute."
Haredi Jews maintain that constant study and Torah learning protect Israel's armed forces, and are as vital to its security as its tanks and air force. This tenet was acknowledged by the nation's leaders in the previous eras, the rabbi said, but he admitted that the nation is evolving.
Increasing Public Pressure
The ultra-Orthodox population has more than doubled its percentage of the country's people over the since the state's founding, and now represents a sizable minority. A policy that originated as an deferment for a small number of Torah scholars turned into, by the beginning of the Gaza war, a group of some 60,000 men not subject to the conscription.
Surveys suggest backing for ending the exemption is growing. A survey in July found that 85% of the broader Jewish public - including almost three-quarters in Netanyahu's own right-wing Likud party - supported consequences for those who refused a call-up notice, with a firm majority in approving removing privileges, the right to travel, or the franchise.
"It seems to me there are individuals who reside in this nation without giving anything back," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv said.
"I don't think, however religious you are, [it] should be an excuse not to perform service your state," said a young woman. "Being a native, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to exempt yourself just to engage in religious study all day."
Views from Inside Bnei Brak
Advocacy of extending the draft is also expressed by traditional Jews beyond the Haredi community, like Dorit Barak, who is a neighbor of the academy and points to non-Haredi religious Jews who do enlist in the army while also maintaining their faith.
"I am frustrated that ultra-Orthodox people don't enlist," she said. "This creates inequality. I too follow the Jewish law, but there's a proverb in Jewish tradition - 'Safra and Saifa' – it means the scripture and the guns together. That is the path, until the arrival of peace."
The resident runs a small memorial in Bnei Brak to soldiers from the area, both from all backgrounds, who were fallen in war. Rows of images {
