New recordings indicate Haredi leaders see conscription law as merely a way to buy time

In recordings published by Channel 12 news, senior ultra-Orthodox leaders appear to dismiss efforts to legislate and regulate Haredi conscription as a stalling tactic only intended to buy time. They openly state they have no plans to allow Haredi youth to enlist in the IDF.

In the recordings, Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, one of the senior leaders of the stream of ultra-Orthodox Jewry known as “Lithuanian,” says the law is meant to put off any real change, rather than fundamentally change enlistment patterns.

“In the end, the law will fall after a few years, but we’ve gained years,” he is heard saying.

Meanwhile, Degel HaTorah spiritual leader Rabbi Dov Lando is heard speaking even more bluntly about the legislation.

“We will not go to the army,” Lando says. “No one will go to the army.”

The comments are in stark contrast to the picture painted by coalition architects of the legislation, who insist it will significantly increase Haredi enlistment in the coming years, while opposition lawmakers say it is toothless and guarantees no such results.

The remarks come as the IDF has publicly acknowledged a severe manpower shortage, with the military saying it lacks some 12,000 soldiers amid the ongoing war and heightened security demands.

Earlier this week, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs told ministers that the government’s ultra-Orthodox draft regulation bill could be sent to the Knesset plenum in the next few weeks, paving the way for the final two votes before the controversial legislation becomes law.