From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
MKs call to recognize ultra-Orthodox ‘Hesder’ yeshivas that allow Haredi youth to combine army service with Torah study
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
A group of coalition lawmakers led by Likud MK Amit Halevi is demanding that the government’s proposed bill regulating ultra-Orthodox conscription be amended with a clause extending recognition to Haredi hesder yeshivas, which combine Torah study with a shortened military service.
Their proposal calls for recognition of hesder yeshivas — which already are relatively common among in the religious Zionist community — in the Haredi sector, and calls on the state to work to establish additional institutions along these lines. It furthermore calls for allowing ultra-Orthodox men enrolled in such programs to combine their Torah studies with work on an academic degree.
Writing to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth, the legislators “insist” on their amendment to the legislation, calling Haredi hesder yeshivas and pre-military academies “the most significant factor in recruiting Haredim today.”
“In practice, these frameworks currently constitute the core of the integration of the Haredi public into military service and the central infrastructure for
meeting the recruitment goals of the State of Israel, both in terms of quantity and quality. Today, these organizations encounter many challenges, a
lack of resources and, absurdly, a lack of clear support from the State of Israel,” they assert.
“The lack of explicit legislative recognition of the Haredi hesder
yeshivas and Haredi preparatory academies constitutes a direct harm to the national effort, the IDF and the State of Israel’s ability to expand and deepen
the partnership of the Haredi public in carrying the security burden.”
The letter is signed by Halevi, Religious Zionism MK Michal Woldiger, Otzma Yehudit MKs Zvika Fogel and Limor Son Har-Melech, and Likud MKs Moshe Passal and Moshe Saada.
Asked if MK Halevi would vote against the bill if his amendment is not included, a spokeswoman for the lawmaker tells The Times of Israel that he “is currently investing all his efforts in making sure the answer is ‘yes.’ He estimates that this will indeed be the case.”
Representatives of the Haredi hesder yeshivas have previously complained about the bill’s lack of recognition in position papers submitted to Bismuth’s committee.
The Times of Israel Community.