From the Liveblog of
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Sephardi chief rabbi: Haredi youth who do not learn Torah need to start, not be drafted
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleRossella Tercatin is The Times of Israel's archaeology and religions reporter.
Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef states at an event celebrating the traditional three-week summer break in yeshivas that Haredi youth who do not study Torah yet need to start doing so rather than be drafted, according to a video posted on X by Kan journalist Michael Shemesh.
“People come and ask me: If someone does not study, does he need to draft?” Yosef says. “Do you know what the answer to this question must be, without a doubt? He who does not study needs to stop and start learning. Nobody is exempt from Torah studies.”
The Chief Rabbinate is an official authority in Israel that operates on the basis of Israeli law and through public funding.
Some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged 18 to 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted, although a year ago, the High Court ruled that the decades-long blanket exemptions from army duty traditionally afforded to the Haredi community were illegal.
הראשל״צ והרב הראשי דוד יוסף בכנס בין הזמנים בקרית גת: שואלים אותי מי שלא לומד האם הוא צריך להתגייס?
התשובה: הוא צריך להתחיל ללמוד pic.twitter.com/erhc0KQ3b1— מיכאל שמש Michael Shemesh (@shemeshmicha) August 7, 2025
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