Report: Majority of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jews refuse army service

The overwhelming majority of ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredi) in Israel still refuse to serve in the occupation army, the Knesset has revealed, according to Anadolu.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Knesset said: “Out of 18,915 Haredi men issued conscription orders during the current enlistment cycle, only 232 have joined the army, 57 of them in combat roles.”

“We set ourselves a target of 4,800 and we will not reach that. There is an upward trend here, but it is not sufficient and does not correspond to the very large operational need,” Lt. Col. Avigdor Dickstein, head of the Haredi branch of the IDF’s Personnel Directorate told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.

According to Dickstein, 1,840 of those recruits ignored initial draft orders and received an immediate call-up order that, if ignored, made them draft evaders.

Dickstein pointed out that the Israeli occupation army aimed to recruit 4,800 Haredi men during the 2024-2025 draft cycle; however, only 1,721 have enlisted thus far, explaining that the number is “insufficient and does not meet the very large operational need.”

Ultra-Orthodox Jews continue their protests against military service following the Supreme Court’s ruling on 25 June 2024, requiring them to enlist and prohibiting financial assistance to religious institutions whose students refuse military service.

Chief rabbis, whose statements are viewed as religious edicts for the Haredi, are increasingly calling for refusal to enlist and even to “tear up” the summons orders.

The Haredi constitute approximately 13 per cent of Israel’s ten million population and refuse military service, dedicating their lives to Torah study. They believe that integration into secular society poses a threat to their religious identity and the continuity of their society.

For decades, members of the community have avoided compulsory military service on religious grounds.

The opposition accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to pass a law exempting the Haredi from military service, in response to demands from the Shas and United Torah Judaism parties, which are members of the governing coalition.

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