‘We are tired of waiting for the next call-up notice,’ reservist wife says at rally for universal enlistment

Speaking with The Times of Israel at a march demanding ultra-Orthodox conscription, a young mother expresses her frustration at the current situation that sees tens of thousands of eligible ultra-Orthodox men refusing to serve in the IDF.

“My husband is in his third round of service,” says Yael from Or Yehuda, as she holds her one-year-old Atalia.

“He was away in the last months of my pregnancy and after our baby was born, Yael adds. “Everyone needs to enlist so that there are more people who can take turns in serving.”

Several thousand people join the march as it leaves Mount Herzl in the direction of the Knesset. The march is promoted by bereaved families and leading reservist organizations, including El HaDegel, the Forum of Reservist Wives, Shotafut LeSherut, and the Religious Zionist Forum of Reservists.

The rally takes place amid a deep social and political crisis, as the ultra-Orthodox community refuses to relinquish the blanket military exemptions its young men have received for decades.

In June, the High Court of Justice ruled that these exemptions could no longer be extended and that the IDF must begin drafting military-age Haredi men. However, ultra-Orthodox parties — key members of the governing coalition — have resisted any compromise to implement the ruling.

The government, for its part, has shown little political will to resolve the issue, even as Israel remains embroiled in a prolonged war triggered by Hamas’s brutal October 7 attack. With the IDF stretched thin on multiple fronts, the demand for soldiers, especially in combat positions, has significantly increased in the past 18 months.