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A looming political storm over enlisting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israel Defense Forces is threatening to undermine the governing coalition and fracturing the state.

Popular sentiment on the issue has changed profoundly in Israel in the wake of two years of war, and this is now perhaps the most volatile political challenge facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Conflict

Politicians are now debating a proposal to terminate the deferment granted to ultra-Orthodox men engaged in Torah study, created when the State of Israel was declared in 1948.

This arrangement was ruled illegal by the nation's top court in the early 2000s. Stopgap solutions to extend it were officially terminated by the judiciary last year, compelling the cabinet to start enlisting the Haredi sector.

Roughly 24,000 draft notices were issued last year, but just approximately 1,200 Haredi conscripts enlisted, according to defense officials presented to lawmakers.

Tensions Erupt Onto the Streets

Tensions are erupting onto the city centers, with lawmakers now deliberating a new draft bill to require ultra-Orthodox men into army duty in the same way as other secular Israelis.

Two Haredi politicians were harassed this month by radical elements, who are enraged with parliament's discussion of the draft legislation.

And last week, a elite police squad had to rescue enforcement personnel who were targeted by a sizeable mob of ultra-Orthodox protesters as they sought to apprehend a suspected draft-evader.

These enforcement actions have prompted the establishment of a new communication network called "Emergency Alert" to spread word quickly through Haredi neighborhoods and call out protesters to prevent arrests from taking place.

"This is a Jewish state," stated an activist. "It's impossible to battle the Jewish faith in a nation founded on Jewish identity. It is a contradiction."

A Realm Apart

But the changes affecting Israel have not yet breached the confines of the religious seminary in an ultra-Orthodox city, an Haredi enclave on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, scholars sit in pairs to analyze Jewish law, their distinctive school notebooks contrasting with the seats of formal attire and small black kippahs.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see half the guys are pursuing religious study," the head of the yeshiva, a senior rabbi, said. "Through religious study, we safeguard the soldiers wherever they are. This is our army."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that continuous prayer and Torah learning defend Israel's armed forces, and are as essential to its security as its tanks and air force. This conviction was acknowledged by previous governments in the previous eras, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he acknowledged that Israel was changing.

Growing Societal Anger

This religious sector has significantly increased its proportion of the nation's citizens over the last seventy years, and now constitutes a sizable minority. What began as an deferment for several hundred Torah scholars became, by the onset of the 2023 war, a cohort of some 60,000 men not subject to the draft.

Surveys show backing for drafting the Haredim is growing. A poll in July showed that a large majority of secular and traditional Jews - including a significant majority in his own coalition allies - favored consequences for those who refused a enlistment summons, with a clear majority in supporting withdrawing benefits, travel documents, or the right to vote.

"It makes me feel there are citizens who live in this country without serving," one serviceman in Tel Aviv commented.

"I don't think, no matter how devout, [it] should be an reason not to go and serve your country," said Gabby. "As a citizen by birth, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to exempt yourself just to study Torah all day."

Views from the Heart of a Religious City

Support for ending the exemption is also expressed by observant Jews beyond the Haredi community, like one local resident, who lives near the seminary and highlights observant but non-Haredi Jews who do serve in the military while also maintaining their faith.

"It makes me angry that ultra-Orthodox people don't serve in the army," she said. "This creates inequality. I too follow the Jewish law, but there's a saying in Jewish tradition - 'The Book and the Sword' – it means the Torah and the defense together. This is the correct approach, until the days of peace."

She manages a local tribute in the neighborhood to fallen servicemen, both religious and secular, who were killed in battle. Long columns of images {