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ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 569

ultra-Orthodox soldiers

Rabbi David Leybel, founder of Achvat Torah, in his Jerusalem office, March 2025. (Rossella Tercatin/Times of Israel)
March 25, 2025, 5:14 pm
‘Our shared nation is under attack’: A Haredi rabbi explains how to draft the ultra-Orthodox
Rabbi David Leybel has already registered significant achievements in integrating Haredim into the workforce. Now he’s turning his sights on military service
By Rossella Tercatin
Ultra-Orthodox protesters hold up a sign reading, 'We will die and not enlist,' while blocking a road during a protest against army recruitment, in Bnei Brak, November 17, 2024. (Erik Marmor/ Flash90)
November 17, 2024, 8:13 pm
First 1,000 of 7,000 new Haredi enlistment orders sent out, sparking protests
Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox men block Route 4 near Bnei Brak, as extremist faction’s rabbi says sending Haredim to IDF ‘destroys the Torah, destroys Judaism and destroys everything’
By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff
Thousands of ultra-Orthodox -- photographed here through a metal fence -- attend a rally against the conscription of Haredi yeshiva students to the military, in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood on June 30, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
November 17, 2024, 3:53 pm
Haredi draft is no longer a mere political issue: The IDF’s readiness depends on it
Over the past year, the outgoing head of the Personnel Directorate devoted most of his time to quiet diplomacy with rabbis in the ultra-Orthodox community. It didn’t work
By Amir Bar Shalom
Illustrative: Israeli soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, in photos released on October 10, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
October 10, 2024, 10:47 pm
New top Sephardic rabbi backs rulings that soldiers in combat must eat on Yom Kippur
Seeking to allay concerns of ultra-Orthodox troops in Gaza, David Yosef notes existing protocols barring them from fasting, says when in doubt they should turn to IDF rabbis
By Mati Wagner
A Haredi draftee is received by a soldier at the Tel Hashomer base in central Israel, August 6, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
August 22, 2024, 2:32 am
IDF: Only some 70 Haredi men have reported to induction centers since High Court ruling
Landmark decision in June declared there is no legal basis to excuse ultra-Orthodox from compulsory service, but less than three percent of 3,000 drafted have so far cooperated
By Emanuel Fabian
Illustrative: The hesder yeshiva in the Itamar settlement in the West Bank, May 2, 2021. (Sraya Diamant/Flash90)
August 19, 2024, 5:50 pm
Report: Gallant approved 7 new ‘hesder’ yeshivas for ultra-Orthodox soldiers
Decision to launch more Haredi establishments that combine military service with Torah studies comes amid bitter dispute over High Court mandating yeshiva students’ enlistment
By ToI Staff
Iran's acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri (L) welcomes his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi ahead of their meeting in Tehran on August 4, 2024. (AFP)
August 8, 2024, 1:52 pm
Daily Briefing Aug. 8: Day 307 – Who is on ‘Team Israel’ as the waiting game continues
Editor David Horovitz weighs in on the diplomatic efforts to contain a potential Iran strike, discusses the need for dialogue to solve the issue of universal conscription
By ToI Staff
Ultra-Orthodox extremists block Route 4 during a protest against the drafting of Haredi men to the IDF, outside of Bnei Brak, August 1, 2024. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)
August 2, 2024, 2:28 am
Extremist Haredi protesters block highway for 3 hours to decry enlistment to IDF
Demonstrators sit on Route 4, near Bnei Brak, chanting, ‘We will die and not enlist’ and berating ultra-Orthodox cop: ‘You enlisted to the Zionists? Better join Hamas’
By ToI Staff
Rabbi Dov Lando attends a meeting to discuss the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox Jews in the military, Bnei Brak, April 5, 2024. (Shlomi Cohen/Flash90)
July 11, 2024, 11:48 am
Top rabbis order yeshiva students to ignore IDF call-ups amid brewing coalition crisis
Haredi parties escalate threats to bolt government if Netanyahu fails to pass ultra-Orthodox draft exemption law within weeks; Lapid demands PM condemn calls for refusal
By ToI Staff
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men near a sign reading 'army recruitment office' during a protest against the drafting of Haredim to the military, in Jerusalem, May 1, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
July 9, 2024, 8:21 pm
Defense minister says IDF will start drafting ultra-Orthodox men next month
Move comes after last month’s landmark High Court of Justice ruling that there is no legal basis to not conscript Haredi men
By Emanuel Fabian
Illustrative: Haredi students study at the Kamenitz Yeshiva, in Jerusalem, August 22, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
July 4, 2024, 8:59 pm
IDF requests work history of Haredi men in apparent bid to target recruits
In its effort to identify which yeshiva students to draft, the military may be looking for men who work illegally despite their army service exemptions for Torah study
By Jeremy Sharon
Ultra-Orthodox soldiers from the Hetz (Arrow) Company of the IDF's Paratrooper Brigade. (Courtesy of the Israel Defense Forces)
July 1, 2024, 3:58 am
The army must soon begin enlisting ultra-Orthodox men. How will that work?
IDF’s main options include a lottery to draft thousands of yeshiva students from Haredi mainstream, likely sparking major backlash, or to conscript from margins of the community
By Jeremy Sharon
Ultra-Orthodox students at the Ponovitz Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, February 27, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
March 28, 2024, 1:57 am
Government seeks 11th hour-High Court extension to avoid mandatory Haredi conscription
State requests 12 more hours to respond to petitions, minutes after AG issues bombshell notice that authorities will be obligated within days to draft ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students
By Jeremy Sharon
Illustrative: Ultra-Orthodox men after clashes during a protest outside the army recruitment office in Jerusalem, as a group of soldiers stands behind them, March 4, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
March 27, 2024, 11:37 am
‘We prefer dying to serving in the IDF’: Israel in battle over Haredi conscription
As troops fight in Gaza and are stationed on the northern border, a third battleground is taking shape over drafting the ultra-Orthodox, an issue that could bring down the coalition
By Agencies and ToI Staff
Ultra-Orthodox men at the IDF recruiting offices in Tel Hashomer, near Tel Aviv, October 23, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
October 31, 2023, 1:22 am
Israel’s war spurs thousands of Haredi Israelis to volunteer, cook and serve in the IDF
Though they often eschew the military due to strict religious observance, many ultra-Orthodox are starting to believe the current battle is an existential one for the Jewish nation
By Eliyahu Freedman
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