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An impending crisis over conscripting Haredi men into the Israeli army is posing a risk to the administration and splitting the country.

Popular sentiment on the issue has undergone a sea change in Israel after two years of hostilities, and this is now perhaps the most explosive political risk facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Battle

Legislators are now debating a piece of legislation to end the deferment granted to yeshiva scholars engaged in yeshiva learning, instituted when the State of Israel was declared in 1948.

That exemption was struck down by the Supreme Court in the early 2000s. Temporary arrangements to continue it were officially terminated by the bench last year, compelling the administration to start enlisting the Haredi sector.

Roughly 24,000 enlistment orders were issued last year, but merely about 1,200 men from the community reported for duty, according to army data presented to lawmakers.

Strains Spill Into Violence

Tensions are erupting onto the public squares, with parliamentarians now debating a new legislative proposal to force yeshiva students into national service alongside other Jewish citizens.

Two Haredi politicians were targeted this month by hardline activists, who are enraged with parliament's discussion of the draft legislation.

In a recent incident, a special Border Police unit had to assist Military Police officers who were attacked by a sizeable mob of community members as they attempted to detain a suspected draft-evader.

These enforcement actions have sparked the creation of a new alert system named "Black Alert" to send out instant alerts through Haredi neighborhoods and summon protesters to block enforcement from occurring.

"This is a Jewish state," said an activist. "It's impossible to battle Judaism in a nation founded on Jewish identity. It is a contradiction."

A Realm Apart

However the changes blowing through Israel have not reached the walls of the Torah academy in a Haredi stronghold, an Haredi enclave on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, scholars sit in pairs to discuss Jewish law, their brightly coloured writing books popping against the rows of light-colored shirts and small black kippahs.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see a significant portion are engaged in learning," the leader of the yeshiva, the spiritual guide, noted. "Via dedicated learning, we protect the soldiers wherever they are. This is how we contribute."

Haredi Jews maintain that unceasing devotion and Torah learning protect Israel's military, and are as vital to its military success as its advanced weaponry. This conviction was acknowledged by the nation's leaders in the past, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he acknowledged that the nation is evolving.

Increasing Public Pressure

This religious sector has grown substantially its proportion of the country's people over the past seven decades, and now constitutes a sizable minority. A policy that originated as an deferment for several hundred religious students became, by the beginning of the 2023 war, a body of approximately 60,000 men left out of the conscription.

Opinion polls indicate approval of ultra-Orthodox conscription is increasing. A survey in July revealed that 85% of secular and traditional Jews - encompassing a significant majority in his own coalition allies - favored penalties for those who refused a enlistment summons, with a clear majority in supporting withdrawing benefits, passports, or the right to vote.

"It seems to me there are citizens who are part of this country without contributing," one serviceman in Tel Aviv explained.

"It is my belief, regardless of piety, [it] should be an reason not to perform service your state," stated a young woman. "As a citizen by birth, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to avoid service just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Perspectives from Inside Bnei Brak

Advocacy of ending the exemption is also found among traditional Jews not part of the Haredi community, like Dorit Barak, who is a neighbor of the academy and notes religious Zionists who do serve in the military while also studying Torah.

"I'm very angry that this community don't perform military service," she said. "It's unfair. I also believe in the Jewish law, but there's a teaching in Jewish tradition - 'The Book and the Sword' – it means the Torah and the defense together. That is the path, until the days of peace."

Ms Barak manages a local tribute in the neighborhood to fallen servicemen, both from all backgrounds, who were killed in battle. Rows of photographs {