Defense minister praises Haredi singer who days earlier sang anti-enlistment anthem

Defense Minister Israel Katz was filmed Thursday night praising ultra-Orthodox singer Arale Samet, who on Tuesday provoked outrage when he was seen in a video clip leading thousands of yeshiva students from a state-funded seminary network to gleefully sing their refusal to enlist in “infidel” Israel’s army.

Minutes after Katz hailed Samet’s talent at a Purim event they both attended, Samet once again led a rendition of the anti-Zionist song to participants, though by then the minister had left the venue, the Behadrei Haredim outlet reported Friday.

Religious and political leaders of the ultra-Orthodox community fiercely resist any effort to draft young men, many of whom study in yeshivas and have thus far been granted exemptions from serving. The issue has come to a head in light of recent High Court rulings that the blanket exemptions must end, and public pressure has risen due to the manpower shortages caused by the long war in the Gaza Strip.

Katz addressed Samet at a Purim festival celebration Thursday night, organized by the Haredi strategist Yossi Rosenbaum.

A video showed Katz telling participants, “It is hard to compete with this singer,” as Samet lounged on a chair nearby.

Katz went on to declare that “the world of Jewish Torah cannot be harmed, we will protect the Torah world,” according to the report, drawing praise from participants.

דקות אחרי יציאת שר הביטחון מביתו של האסטרטג יוסי רוזנבוים, אהרל'ה סמט מלהיב את הקהל בשירת: "בשלטון הכופרים אין אנו מאמינים, ובלשכותיהם אין אנו מתייצבים". https://t.co/HX9oul4XWC pic.twitter.com/Mj57FzWSN3

— אברהם פריינד (@avrahamFriend) March 13, 2025

Minutes after Katz left, Samet led the event with a rendition of the same song that caused an uproar earlier in the week, a famous anthem of the staunchly anti-Zionist Neturei Karta Haredi sect, which usually is translatable as: “We don’t believe in the government of infidels and we do not recognize their laws.”

However, the version sung by Samet this week tweaked the words to say: “We don’t believe in the government of infidels and we won’t show up at their [army] recruitment offices.”

רבבות תלמידי ישיבות עטרת שלמה בראשות ראש הישיבה הגרש"ב סורוצקין שרים בהתלהבות: "בשלטון הכופרים אין אנו מאמינים ובלשכותיהם אין אנו מתייצבים" pic.twitter.com/8d44FHeKVp

— משה ויסברג (@moshe_nayes) March 11, 2025

In a statement to the Ynet outlet, Katz’s office didn’t deny that the song had featured at the event, but stressed that the minister was not there at the time.

It noted that Katz “always clarifies his position in favor of Haredi service in the IDF and is acting to pass… the draft bill that will bring significant service to tens of thousands of Haredim in the IDF, while preserving the Torah world, in contrast to the situation today.”

The dispute about the ultra-Orthodox community serving in the military is one of the most contentious in Israel, with decades of governmental and judicial attempts to settle the issue having failed to achieve a resolution.

A High Court of Justice ruling last year found there is no legal basis for the decades-long blanket exemption from military service for Haredi yeshiva students, while a decision by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara that there can be no daycare subsidies for the children of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students who refuse to obey military draft orders.

The government is working on legislation to resolve the issue, though progress has been hampered by coalition infighting on the topic. Haredi parties are a key component of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and its parliamentary majority. They have threatened to oppose the crucial state budget — which must pass this month or the government falls — if an enlistment law isn’t passed before that.