Hasidic faction’s rabbinic leadership meets without publicly condemning draft exemption bill

8 January 2026, 12:28 am

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Agudat Yisrael head Yitzhak Goldknopf arrives for a meeting being held by the faction's rabbinic leadership on the Haredi draft exemption bill, in Jerusalem on January 7, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Hasidic Agudat Yisrael faction’s rabbinic leadership ends a meeting on the bill to regulate ultra-Orthodox military conscription and exemptions without using a statement against the legislation, in what Hebrew media outlets describe as a surprise move.

Agudat Yisrael sources quoted quoted by the Haaretz daily say that the faction, part of the United Torah Judaism party, is expected to issue a statement saying the rabbis came to a decision but will not publish it, allowing the legislation to advance while they maintain their opposition to sanctions on draft evaders.