Questions Being Asked: Haredim
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The Problem With Mandatory Service
INTRODUCTION
Note to educator: These introductory questions are designed to help learners begin to consider perceptions of exemption from mandatory military service in Israel. Before moving on from this introduction, it would be useful for learners to engage with the introductory activities here as well.
Begin this discussion by guiding learners through the following thought experiment:
- If the United States required all 18-year-olds to serve in the military except for registered Independents, what would your response be?
- If the United States required all 18-year-olds to serve in the military except for those who were planning to study medicine, what would your response be?
Note to educator: This thought experiment introduces learners, in terms that they are more familiar with, to two sides of the debate over Haredi military service in Israel. The first question represents a perspective that views the Haredi exemption as arbitrary and unfair, while the second represents a perspective that views Haredi exemption as justified and important.
Ask learners:
- What do you know about Haredim, or ultra-Orthodox Jews?
- What do you know about Haredim’s exemption from IDF service?
Note to educator: If learners have no or limited answers, provide them with information from the FAQ: Haredim.
MANDATORY SERVICE THROUGH DIFFERENT LENSES
Note to educator: This activity guides learners in unpacking arguments for and against Haredi exemptions from military service.
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION
There are diverse opinions in Israeli society about whether or not Haredim should be required to serve in the IDF. The issue of Haredi military service, in fact, is one of the most contentious and controversial issues in Israel today, particularly in the wake of October 7. Many non-Haredi Israelis argue that all citizens must share the burden of military service, while many Haredim and their allies argue that Torah study and prayer are equally, if not more, essential to national security. In this activity, we seek to understand how those in favor of Haredim serving in the army and Haredim who oppose the draft frame their arguments. (You can show this video, in addition to the framing above, as a supplement.)
Share with your learners the following translation of a statement by Member of Knesset and Knesset opposition leader Yair Lapid on Haredi draft exemption:
“The one thing that creates a divide in the nation is: some people serve [in the army] and some don’t [the Haredim]. There are those who die [for the country], and there are those who don’t. There are those who are injured, and there are those who aren’t. There are those who work for a living and pay taxes, and there are those who want us to pay for them to evade army service and not work.”
Ask learners:
- What are the components of the argument here?
- Why, according to MK Yair Lapid, must Haredim serve in the army?
Note to educator: Some points to emphasize and add include: 70% of Israeli Jews demand that if they and their children must serve in the IDF, so must Haredim; many Israelis regard the welfare stipends that Haredim receive in addition to the state funding that yeshivot receive as unfair, considering that Haredim do not serve in the IDF; the military and defense establishments have also begun to describe the necessity of Haredi conscription; military officers have argued that drafting Haredi men is necessary due to the growing threats Israel faces in the wake of October 7, and as a means to limit mandatory service time for the standing army and reserve service time for veterans.
Show learners the following video clips and articles—all responding to arguments similar to the one Lapid made:
CLOSING DISCUSSION
Ask learners:
- What are the components of the argument in the video clips?
- Why, according to these accounts, should Haredim be exempted from army service?
Some Haredim, meanwhile, have decided, in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks and the ensuing war, that army service is incumbent upon them as much as any other Israeli. Watch here (1:46-5:05) to see why some Haredim are choosing to enlist.
- Do you hear any of the arguments MK Lapid made coming up in this video?
- Do you hear any of the arguments from the anti-conscription Haredi videos and articles coming up in this video?
SOLUTIONS AND COMPROMISES: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
Note to educator: This activity guides learners through considering the complexities and pros and cons of various proposals, past and present, to resolve the debate over Haredi draft exemption.
OPENING ACTIVITY
Frame the activity as follows:
- Now, we will explore a past legislative attempt and a current proposal to resolve the debate over drafting Haredim into the IDF.
In addition to providing learners with part or all of the FAQ: Haredim (particularly the historical questions for this activity), share this brief video providing an overview of the history of Haredi draft exemption (suggested to stop at 1:05).
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Share with learners the following basic summary of the 2002 Tal Law:
- In 1998, the Supreme Court ruled that the blanket exemption of Haredim from military service without supporting legislation was illegal and called on the government to pass a law. As a result, in 2002, the Tal Law was passed. The law dictated that Haredim studying in yeshiva would be allowed to postpone conscription until the age of 23, at which point they could choose between three options: a shortened military service, a year of civilian national service, or continuing to study in yeshiva until the age of 26.
DISCUSSION
Ask learners:
- What do you personally think are the pros and cons of this law?
- What do you think are the pros and cons of this law from a Haredi perspective?
- What do you think are the pros and cons of this law for mainstream Israeli society?
- Based on what you understand now, would you support this law?
- How might you amend this law?
Note to educator: After engaging with these questions, tell learners that the Tal Law failed to incentivize most Haredim to join the army, and that it was later struck down by the Supreme Court for perpetuating inequality.
Optional:
Skip to the concluding discussion if time is limited.
Share the following principles, based on the post-October 7 reality, from a recently proposed draft law (source):
- “All Haredim will enlist except for a small quota of exemptions for ‘Torah elites’
- The conscription requirement is personal, not communal, meaning that everyone enlists without the use of ‘targets’ and ‘quotas’;
- A Haredi man who does not enlist will be classified as a deserter—he will not be imprisoned, but will carry the criminal stigma, with all that implies, until he completes his service;
- Deferral of service for the sake of Torah study will not be longer than three years;
- State support for the Haredi way of life for those who do not serve will cease: institutions where those who have not served study will be ineligible for state funding;
- Funding for Torah students who have served will also be limited, to incentivize joining the labor market after military service;
- Those who have not served will not receive state benefits beyond basic social support (child allowances);
- Those who serve in the military will receive preference in all state resources—real estate tenders, employment in the civil service, etc.;
- In order to enable them to serve in a way that aligns, as much as possible under military circumstances, with the Haredi way of life, the army must build tailored frameworks [designed specifically] for ultra-Orthodox inductees. One possible solution is the establishment of a Border Guard corps in which the Haredim will serve on separate bases in a way that ‘safeguards’ their identity.”
CLOSING ACTIVITY
Ask learners:
- What do you personally think are the pros and cons of this framework?
- What do you think are the pros and cons of this law from a Haredi perspective?
- What do you think are the pros and cons of this law for mainstream Israeli society?
- Would you support this law?
- How might you amend this law?
Conclude by splitting learners into groups of three and ask them to come up with three legislative proposals—one that they think would satisfy Haredim, one that they think would satisfy the needs of the IDF, and one that they think is a fair compromise between both “sides.” Reconvene as a full group to discuss.
Note to educator: This activity can also be done differently by dividing into three (or six) groups and asking each group to come up with one of the three proposals. Each group would be challenged to take on the narrative of the proposal they are preparing, and to convince you, the Prime Minister, to endorse their legislation. One group would represent Haredim and would draft a law that cements the importance of Torah study and confirms their exemption from the IDF in perpetuity. The second group would represent the IDF leadership and should craft a law that prioritizes the needs of the military for more people power. The final group, perhaps drawing on the above two examples, would propose a law that bridges the gaps between the first and second group—a law that is seen as a compromise between Haredim and non-Haredim.
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