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A gathering crisis over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israel Defense Forces is threatening to undermine Israel's government and splitting the nation.

The public mood on the matter has undergone a sea change in Israel after two years of war, and this is now possibly the most explosive political risk facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Conflict

Lawmakers are reviewing a piece of legislation to terminate the deferment given to Haredi students engaged in full-time religious study, created when the modern Israel was established in 1948.

This arrangement was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court two decades ago. Temporary arrangements to continue it were finally concluded by the judiciary last year, forcing the government to start enlisting the ultra-Orthodox population.

Some 24,000 draft notices were delivered last year, but merely about 1,200 men from the community showed up, according to military testimony given to lawmakers.

Strains Boil Over Into Violence

Strains are boiling over onto the streets, with parliamentarians now discussing a new legislative proposal to compel Haredi males into national service together with other Jewish citizens.

A pair of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were harassed this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are furious with parliament's discussion of the bill.

In a recent incident, a elite police squad had to assist army police who were surrounded by a big group of community members as they tried to arrest a man avoiding service.

Such incidents have led to the development of a new communication network dubbed "Black Alert" to send out instant alerts through the religious sector and mobilize activists to stop detentions from happening.

"This is a Jewish state," stated Shmuel Orbach. "It's impossible to battle Judaism in a Jewish country. It doesn't work."

A World Separate

However the shifts blowing through Israel have not yet breached the confines of the religious seminary in an ultra-Orthodox city, an ultra-Orthodox city on the fringes of Tel Aviv.

In the learning space, scholars learn in partnerships to debate Jewish law, their vividly colored writing books standing out against the lines of light-colored shirts and traditional skullcaps.

"Visit in the early hours, and you will see half the guys are studying Torah," the head of the yeshiva, a senior rabbi, explained. "Via dedicated learning, we safeguard the soldiers on the front lines. This is our army."

Haredi Jews maintain that constant study and spiritual pursuit protect Israel's armed forces, and are as essential to its military success as its tanks and air force. This conviction was acknowledged by Israel's politicians in the past, the rabbi said, but he conceded that Israel was changing.

Rising Popular Demand

The ultra-Orthodox population has grown substantially its share of the nation's citizens over the last seventy years, and now represents 14%. What began as an deferment for a small number of Torah scholars turned into, by the onset of the 2023 war, a cohort of tens of thousands of men exempt from the conscription.

Opinion polls suggest backing for drafting the Haredim is growing. A survey in July found that a large majority of secular and traditional Jews - including almost three-quarters in the Prime Minister's political base - supported sanctions for those who declined a enlistment summons, with a solid consensus in favor of removing privileges, passports, or the electoral participation.

"It seems to me there are individuals who live in this country without serving," one serviceman in Tel Aviv said.

"In my view, however religious you are, [it] should be an excuse not to fulfill your duty to your state," said a Tel Aviv resident. "As a citizen by birth, I find it rather absurd that you want to avoid service just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Voices from Within a Religious City

Support for extending the draft is also found among traditional Jews not part of the ultra-Orthodox sector, like Dorit Barak, who lives near the seminary and notes religious Zionists who do perform national service while also maintaining their faith.

"I'm very angry that this community don't enlist," she said. "This creates inequality. I am also committed to the Jewish law, but there's a teaching in Hebrew - 'Safra and Saifa' – it signifies the scripture and the defense together. That's the way forward, until the messianic era."

Ms Barak runs a local tribute in her city to soldiers from the area, both religious and secular, who were killed in battle. Lines of photographs {