IDF approves orders regulating service conditions for ultra-Orthodox troops

While the government works to advance legislation giving ultra-Orthodox men renewed exemptions from military service, the IDF says it has approved new protocols that regulate service conditions for Haredi troops.

The General Staff order has been in the works for over a year, according to the military, and it was recently approved by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir. It was also written in coordination with the Defense Ministry and presented to Defense Minister Israel Katz, the IDF says.

Facing a manpower shortage, the IDF says the order intends to enable more ultra-Orthodox men to join the military and maintain their level of religiosity throughout their service. Zamir has said that expanding Haredi enlistment is “an essential operational necessity.”

The IDF has worked for years to integrate members of the Haredi community, although without any binding guidelines, relying instead on internal policy within the Personnel Directorate. The new order, at the General Staff level, carries binding authority and mandates oversight of the service conditions for Haredi soldiers.

The order only applies to Haredi men who enlist within three new designated service tracks. Ultra-Orthodox troops who choose to serve in a unit that is not within the new service tracks will not be entitled to the new protocols.

The first service track is “Magen,” Hebrew for shield, where male Haredi soldiers are assigned to a gender-segregated team within a unit that also has female troops. The units within this track are mostly non-combat, such as intelligence.

The second is “Herev,” Hebrew for sword, where the entire framework is gender-segregated for the ultra-Orthodox troops, such as the Kfir Brigade’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion or the Israeli Air Force technicians unit for Haredim. The commanders of the units in this track will generally be those who observe a Haredi or religious lifestyle, and women will be able to serve on the same base in various other roles.

And lastly, “David,” where all personnel in the unit are male and observe a religious lifestyle. The only unit currently in this track is the Hasmonean Brigade, and additional units would need to be individually approved by the chief of the Personnel Directorate.

The General Staff order also details additional rights to which Haredi soldiers are entitled, such as prayer times, kosher standards, a declaration of allegiance to the IDF instead of an oath, and more.

The IDF vows that the service of other populations in the military, especially women, will not be harmed due to the integration of Haredi soldiers, “except as explicitly permitted by the order.”