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A gathering political storm over conscripting Haredi men into the Israel Defense Forces is posing a risk to Israel's government and splitting the state.

The public mood on the question has shifted dramatically in Israel after two years of war, and this is now perhaps the most divisive political challenge facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Battle

Lawmakers are currently considering a proposal to abolish the deferment given to ultra-Orthodox men enrolled in Torah study, established when the modern Israel was declared in 1948.

The deferment was ruled illegal by the nation's top court in the early 2000s. Interim measures to continue it were formally ended by the bench last year, pressuring the administration to begin drafting the Haredi sector.

Roughly 24,000 call-up papers were issued last year, but merely about 1,200 Haredi conscripts reported for duty, according to army data given to lawmakers.

Friction Erupt Into Public View

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

A pair of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were targeted this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are enraged with parliament's discussion of the proposed law.

In a recent incident, a specialized force had to assist army police who were surrounded by a large crowd of community members as they sought to apprehend a alleged conscription dodger.

Such incidents have led to the development of a new alert system called "Dark Alert" to spread word quickly through the religious sector and mobilize demonstrators to stop detentions from occurring.

"We're a Jewish country," said an activist. "You can't fight against the Jewish faith in a Jewish state. It is a contradiction."

A World Set Aside

Yet the shifts affecting Israel have not reached the environment of the Torah academy in a Haredi stronghold, an ultra-Orthodox city on the edge of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, scholars learn in partnerships to discuss the Torah, their vividly colored notepads contrasting with the seats of white shirts and head coverings.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see half the guys are studying Torah," the dean of the academy, a senior rabbi, explained. "Through religious study, we shield the soldiers on the front lines. This constitutes our service."

The community holds that unceasing devotion and Torah learning defend Israel's armed forces, and are as vital to its security as its advanced weaponry. This conviction was endorsed by Israel's politicians in the previous eras, he said, but he acknowledged that the nation is evolving.

Rising Public Pressure

The ultra-Orthodox population has more than doubled its share of Israel's population over the last seventy years, and now constitutes a sizable minority. An exemption that started as an exception for a small number of Torah scholars turned into, by the start of the recent conflict, a cohort of some 60,000 men not subject to the draft.

Surveys suggest support for ultra-Orthodox conscription is increasing. Research in July showed that an overwhelming percentage of secular and traditional Jews - encompassing a large segment in the Prime Minister's political base - backed sanctions for those who declined a enlistment summons, with a clear majority in supporting withdrawing benefits, travel documents, or the electoral participation.

"It seems to me there are citizens who live in this nation without serving," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv commented.

"It is my belief, regardless of piety, [it] should be an justification not to fulfill your duty to your nation," stated Gabby. "As a citizen by birth, I find it rather absurd that you want to opt out just to engage in religious study all day."

Views from the Heart of a Religious City

Backing for extending the draft is also coming from traditional Jews outside the Haredi community, like a Bnei Brak inhabitant, who is a neighbor of the seminary and notes religious Zionists who do serve in the military while also studying Torah.

"I am frustrated that ultra-Orthodox people don't enlist," she said. "This creates inequality. I am also committed to the Jewish law, but there's a proverb in Jewish tradition - 'Safra and Saifa' – it represents the Torah and the defense together. This is the correct approach, until the arrival of peace."

The resident runs a local tribute in Bnei Brak to fallen servicemen, both religious and secular, who were lost in conflict. Long columns of photographs {