With Israel at war, 150 Haredi men draft into IDF, thousands expected to follow
Over 2,100 ultra-Orthodox men sign up to enter volunteer service in coming weeks, will integrate into forces wherever needed
Around 150 Haredi men arrived at a recruitment center in Ramat Gan on Monday morning as the Israel Defense Forces began the process of drafting some 2,000 of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jews as volunteers, in an unprecedented mobilization.
According to the Walla news site, most of the volunteers are members of the non-Hasidic stream of ultra-Orthodoxy in Israel and are aged 26-39.
On Saturday, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the IDF had received more than 2,000 requests from Haredim to volunteer since the October 7 attack by the Hamas terror group, in which 1,400 Israelis were killed and at least 222 were taken hostage.
According to a report from the Ynet new site on Monday citing data from the IDF’s Manpower Directorate, some 3,000 Haredim have shown interest in volunteering for the war against Hamas. Of that number, 2,100 have filled out paperwork and started the draft process.
The volunteers will undergo two weeks of basic training before being integrated into the active forces wherever they’re needed, including as ambulance drivers and cooks. They are not expected to take part in combat, which necessitates far longer training.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, offered the volunteers a prayer for their safety.
“To my ultra-Orthodox brothers who arrived today at the gates of the recruitment center, may God protect you as you come and go from now on and forever, together with all the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces.”
The minister, who himself served in the Home Front Command, concluded his short address with a quote from the Bible: “In his days Judah shall be delivered and Israel shall dwell secure.”
Haredi women and male yeshivah students are generally exempt from military service due to controversial status quo arrangements.
In 2017, the High Court of Justice invalidated the legal exemption and ordered the government to pass a new conscription law. The government has since been unable to agree on legislation, repeatedly extending the non-conscription policy, while Haredi politicians have sought to pass legislation cementing the exemptions.
Many Haredim believe that studying the Torah helps protect the Jewish people and even the state, and that serving time in the army would dilute adherence to their strict ways of life and lead impressionable members of the community astray.
Among non-Haredi Jews, this is widely perceived as draft-dodging by a group that refuses to integrate into mainstream society.
The Hamas attack and subsequent war has led commentators to note that a new law exempting members of Haredi society seems increasingly unlikely.
