Israeli society divided by reauthorization of ultra-Orthodox student conscription

This is one of the issues that deeply divides Israeli society: the exemption from military service for young ultra-Orthodox students studying in Talmudic institutes. The law that allowed this exemption was not renewed by the Knesset. Starting Sunday, July 21, summonses are being sent to a first group of future conscripts, following a decision by the Israeli Supreme Court. A measure that could destabilize the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I would rather die than serve in the army”This is the slogan that young ultra-Orthodox have been chanting for weeks. On Sunday, a first group of 1,000 of them, aged 18 to 26, should receive a summons to perform military service of almost three years.

For political scientist Professor Menachem Klein, it is a subject that deeply divides Israelis, particularly in this period of war. “The issue of conscription of the ultra-Orthodox is a real problem, he says. They do not share national obligations like other young Israelis.”

“This issue has been taken up by politicians of all stripes, religious and secular, and they are using it for low-level political purposes.”

Menachem Klein, political scientist

to franceinfo

In all, 63,000 haredim, ultra-Orthodox, are eligible to be mobilized. Recruiting some of them would help ease the burden on the tens of thousands of reservists mobilized since October 7. But the rabbis of these communities have ordered them to ignore the summons. A situation that, in theory, could lead to the fall of the current Israeli government and provoke new elections. An unlikely scenario, however. In the past, this type of crisis has ended up finding sometimes shaky solutions, often at the very last moment.