This Sunday, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called for sanctions against ultra-Orthodox Jews who refuse to do the mandatory military service. “The recruitment of Haredi is a matter of values, and they must enlist,” Lapid told Israel’s Army Radio, adding that those who refuse must be banned from government funding and passports.
“If they do not, they should not receive budgets, they should not get passports, and they should not be allowed to travel to Uman (Ukraine),” he noted, referring to Uman ceremony for which thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews travel to the Ukrainian city of Uman each year to celebrate the Jewish New Year.
The Haredi community in Israel, which constitutes nearly 13% of Israel’s 10 million residents, traditionally avoids military service, dedicating their lives to studying the Jewish holy book, the Torah. However, a June 2023 ruling by Israel’s Supreme Court broke the long-standing controversial taboo in Israeli society, as it mandated their conscription, just like other Israeli citizens.
It was on this Friday that Israel’s a Defense Ministry announced in a statement the gradual enlistment of 7,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military, set to start this weekend. According to the statement, the conscription orders will be issued progressively, beginning on Sunday, following military evaluations.
Supporting the decision, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army would make every effort to ensure a supportive environment, allowing religious Jews to fulfil their military duties while preserving their religious lifestyle. However, the details of how this process will unfold are still unclear.
As Israel’s war in Gaza is still ongoing and there is no end in sight for it, and also due to the spread of the war to Lebanon, Israel is now in urgent need of more troops more now than ever before.
