Daily Briefing Mar. 16: Day 527 – Haredi groups help yeshiva students dodge draft

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Political correspondent Sam Sokol joins host Jessica Steinberg for today’s Daily Briefing.

As the IDF faces problems recruiting reserve troops after more than 17 months of war and mounting anger against the ultra-Orthodox for not shouldering the burden, Sokol discusses the latest on the Haredi draft issue, which is coming to a head in the current budget debates.

Sokol says the various ultra-Orthodox parties are playing this issue differently, although they all want the same thing — a law enshrining the decades-old widespread exemption from the IDF for their young men — and will use different tactics to achieve their goals.

He also describes his ongoing investigation into the growing number of Haredi organizations offering advice to yeshiva students and families about how to dodge draft notices. Sokol is investigating the pattern of behavior that’s emerging, the illegalities involved in advising someone to avoid the draft, and the security apparatus’s reticence to take action.

Please see today’s ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

AG, police silent in face of growing ecosystem of Haredi evasion organizations

Hasidic MKs tell Netanyahu they’ll oppose budget if draft exemption law not passed

Haredi lawmakers split on approach to budget, which must pass this month or gov’t falls

‘Do not cooperate’: Nonprofit linked to top Haredi rabbis encourages draft dodging

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Check out yesterday’s Daily Briefing episode here: