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A gathering political storm over enlisting Haredi men into the military is posing a risk to Israel's government and splitting the country.

Public opinion on the question has shifted dramatically in Israel after two years of conflict, and this is now possibly the most volatile political risk facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Conflict

Lawmakers are reviewing a draft bill to end the deferment granted to yeshiva scholars enrolled in Torah study, established when the modern Israel was established in 1948.

That exemption was ruled illegal by Israel's High Court of Justice two decades ago. Temporary arrangements to continue it were officially terminated by the bench last year, pressuring the administration to begin drafting the ultra-Orthodox population.

Some 24,000 draft notices were sent out last year, but only around 1,200 men from the community reported for duty, according to defense officials shared with lawmakers.

Tensions Erupt Into Public View

Tensions are erupting onto the city centers, with lawmakers now discussing a new draft bill to require yeshiva students into national service in the same way as other secular Israelis.

Two representatives were confronted this month by radical elements, who are incensed with parliament's discussion of the draft legislation.

Recently, a specialized force had to rescue army police who were surrounded by a big group of community members as they attempted to detain a suspected draft-evader.

These arrests have prompted the establishment of a new communication network dubbed "Emergency Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through Haredi neighborhoods and call out protesters to stop detentions from taking place.

"We're a Jewish country," remarked 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 blowing through Israel have not yet breached the environment of the Kisse Rahamim yeshiva in a Haredi stronghold, an religious community on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

In the learning space, young students study together to analyze Judaism's religious laws, their brightly coloured school notebooks standing out against the seats of formal attire and head coverings.

"Visit in the early hours, and you will see half the guys are studying Torah," the leader of the academy, a senior rabbi, noted. "By studying Torah, we shield the troops wherever they are. This is our army."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that constant study and Torah learning defend Israel's armed forces, and are as vital to its defense as its conventional forces. This conviction was endorsed by previous governments in the earlier decades, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he admitted that the nation is evolving.

Rising Societal Anger

This religious sector has significantly increased its percentage of the country's people over the since the state's founding, and now represents a sizable minority. What began as an deferment for several hundred Torah scholars evolved into, by the onset of the 2023 war, a group of approximately 60,000 men not subject to the national service.

Surveys suggest backing for ultra-Orthodox conscription is rising. Research in July revealed that 85% of secular and traditional Jews - even almost three-quarters in the Prime Minister's political base - backed consequences for those who ignored a draft order, with a firm majority in favor of removing privileges, travel documents, or the right to vote.

"I feel there are people who reside in this country without serving," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv said.

"I don't think, however religious you are, [it] should be an excuse not to fulfill your duty to your country," said a Tel Aviv resident. "As a citizen by birth, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to avoid service just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Voices from the Heart of a Religious City

Support for extending the draft is also coming from traditional Jews beyond the Haredi community, like one local resident, who resides close to the seminary and notes non-Haredi religious Jews who do perform national service while also studying Torah.

"I'm very angry that this community don't perform military service," she said. "This creates inequality. I also believe in the Torah, but there's a proverb in Hebrew - 'Safra and Saifa' – it means the scripture and the defense together. That is the path, until the days of peace."

Ms Barak runs a modest remembrance site in the neighborhood to local soldiers, both from all backgrounds, who were fallen in war. Rows of images {