IDF sees increase in draft of Haredi troops, but is still far off from goals
Some 900 ultra-Orthodox men conscripted in latest draft period, marking an 85% increase over same period last year, but goal was 1,300
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that it had seen a significant increase in the number of ultra-Orthodox men who have been drafted into the military this year so far. However, it is still far from reaching its conscription goals.
The military has said that it currently requires some 10,000 new soldiers — 75% of whom will be combat troops — but can only accommodate the enlistment of an additional 3,000 ultra-Orthodox soldiers this year, due to their special needs. This would be is in addition to some 1,800 Haredi soldiers who are already drafted annually.
Over the summer, the IDF Personnel Directorate sent out 3,000 draft orders to Haredi men aged 18-26. Out of those 3,000 men, only around 10% have been drafted into the military.
Those who ignored multiple draft orders will be prevented from leaving the country and may face arrest by Military Police and be taken to military jails. So far, some 900 “no exit” orders have been issued.
The IDF’s overall goal for the previous draft period — about four months — was 1,300 ultra-Orthodox soldiers. Ultimately it reached just over 900, including those who were drafted outside of the 3,000 new orders.
This means that the IDF has seen an 85% increase in the number of Haredi soldiers joining the army, compared to the same draft period in previous years.
In the next draft period, set to begin on Sunday, the Personnel Directorate will be issuing the first 1,000 of 7,000 new draft orders to Haredi men. The military hopes with the next set of orders to reach its goal of 4,800 ultra-Orthodox soldiers for the year ending June 2025, but some in the army are skeptical about that.
The IDF said its main test is not sending out the draft orders, but rather managing to recruit and integrate Haredi men in the military.
This past year, some 70,000 Haredi males were listed as eligible for military service, but the IDF said it is not feasible to order them all into the military at once, as absorbing them is a process that will take time.
As part of expanding the draft of ultra-Orthodox men, the IDF has been working to open new units — and potentially even a separate induction center — for Haredi troops, in addition to the existing ones.
Existing IDF units for Haredi troops include the Netzah Yehuda Battalion in the Kfir Brigade, the Tomer Company in the Givati Brigade’s Rotem Battalion, the Hetz Company in the Paratroopers Brigade’s 202nd Battalion, and the Nevatim Airbase’s ground defense unit, as well as numerous other noncombat roles.
The IDF is also establishing a new brigade for ultra-Orthodox conscripts, known as the Hasmonean Brigade. According to the IDF, so far the military has completed drafting the staff for Hasmonean Brigade — the first Haredi brigade — as well as establishing infrastructure for the induction of the brigade’s first company next month.
The dispute over 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 never achieving a stable resolution. The Haredi religious and political leadership fiercely resists any effort to draft young men.
Many ultra-Orthodox Jews believe that military service is incompatible with their way of life, and fear that those who enlist will be secularized.
Israelis who do serve, however, say the decades-long arrangement of mass exemptions unfairly burdens them, a sentiment that has intensified since the October 7 onslaught and the ensuing war, in which more than 780 soldiers have been killed and some 300,000 citizens called up to reserve duty.
Separately, the IDF said Thursday that it was still seeking to immediately increase the amount of time conscripts and reservists serve in the military to replace the thousands of soldiers who have been wounded and killed amid the war and to bolster its personnel for future challenges.
The planned changes to the security service and reserve service laws, which will need to be approved by lawmakers, include making mandatory army service for men three years long, as it had been until 2015. The IDF suggested the change back in February, although the Knesset has yet to advance it.
Currently, male recruits serve 32 months, while women serve for two years. Under the planned changes, female soldiers in combat and other special roles will also serve for 36 months.
The IDF also plans to raise the age for retirement from reserve duty. Currently, soldiers can bow out at 40, officers at 45, and those in special roles, including positions like drivers, at 49. Under the IDF’s plans, the retirement age from reserve duty for soldiers would increase to 45, officers to 50, and those in special roles to 52.
The amount of time required by reservists to serve per year will also change.
Normally — not during war — reservists serve on average 25 days in reserves per year, once every three years. During the past year of war, combat soldiers served on average 136 days in reserves and commanders served 168 days, according to the IDF.
As the fighting continues, the IDF plans that reservists will serve 70 days per year. The military’s aim is for the reserve duty to be 70 consecutive days, and not split up. The time may be extended further depending on the circumstances of the war.
The military hopes that the increased service time for conscripts along with the draft of Haredim will reduce the load on reservists.
The overall rate of reserve soldiers showing up for duty in the past year has been 85%, according to the IDF. At the start of the war, the IDF reported high turnout rates, but as the fighting has dragged on, especially in recent weeks, that number has plummeted.
Another challenge the Personnel Directorate faces is with the IDF’s career soldiers.
According to the military, the salaries received by career soldiers are around 10-15% less than those of in the police or prison service, which has resulted in the IDF not being an attractive job for young adults.
Additionally, the salaries of junior career officers or NCOs are significantly lower than those of reservists, which has resulted in many soldiers deciding not to continue in the IDF and instead just show up for reserve duty.
