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A gathering crisis over conscripting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israel Defense Forces is posing a risk to the administration and dividing the state.

Popular sentiment on the issue has shifted dramatically in Israel after two years of conflict, and this is now arguably the most explosive political challenge facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Conflict

Lawmakers are now debating a draft bill to abolish the exemption awarded to ultra-Orthodox men engaged in yeshiva learning, instituted when the State of Israel was declared in 1948.

That exemption was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court two decades ago. Interim measures to continue it were finally concluded by the court last year, forcing the cabinet to start enlisting the ultra-Orthodox population.

Roughly 24,000 enlistment orders were sent out last year, but merely about 1,200 Haredi conscripts reported for duty, according to army data presented to lawmakers.

Strains Boil Over Into Public View

Tensions are erupting onto the city centers, with parliamentarians now debating a new draft bill to require ultra-Orthodox men into national service together with other Israeli Jews.

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

Recently, a specialized force had to extract Military Police officers who were attacked by a big group of Haredi men as they tried to arrest a suspected draft-evader.

Such incidents have prompted the establishment of a new alert system named "Black Alert" to send out instant alerts through ultra-Orthodox communities and summon demonstrators to stop detentions from happening.

"We're a Jewish country," stated one protester. "It's impossible to battle the Jewish faith in a Jewish state. That is untenable."

An Environment Apart

But the shifts affecting Israel have failed to penetrate the environment of the Kisse Rahamim yeshiva in Bnei Brak, an religious community on the fringes of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, young students study together to debate Jewish law, their distinctive notepads contrasting with the seats of light-colored shirts and small black kippahs.

"Visit in the early hours, and you will see a significant portion are pursuing religious study," the head of the seminary, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, said. "Via dedicated learning, we safeguard the troops wherever they are. This is how we contribute."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that constant study and religious study guard Israel's military, and are as crucial to its security as its advanced weaponry. This conviction was endorsed by previous governments in the previous eras, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he acknowledged that public attitudes are shifting.

Growing Popular Demand

The Haredi community has significantly increased its proportion of the nation's citizens over the past seven decades, and now constitutes a sizable minority. A policy that originated as an exemption for a small number of Torah scholars became, by the onset of the 2023 war, a group of some 60,000 men exempt from the draft.

Polling data show support for ending the exemption is increasing. Research in July revealed that 85% of the broader Jewish public - including almost three-quarters in the Prime Minister's political base - backed penalties for those who declined a call-up notice, with a clear majority in approving withdrawing benefits, travel documents, or the franchise.

"It makes me feel there are citizens who live in this country without giving anything back," one serviceman in Tel Aviv said.

"I don't think, no matter how devout, [it] should be an justification not to perform service your country," stated Gabby. "As a citizen by birth, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to exempt yourself just to engage in religious study all day."

Views from Inside the Community

Advocacy of extending the draft is also coming from religious Jews beyond the ultra-Orthodox sector, like a Bnei Brak inhabitant, who resides close to the academy and highlights observant but non-Haredi Jews who do serve in the military while also maintaining their faith.

"I am frustrated that the Haredim don't enlist," she said. "This creates inequality. I too follow the Jewish law, but there's a proverb in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it means the scripture and the weapons together. This is the correct approach, until the arrival of peace."

She runs a modest remembrance site in the neighborhood to soldiers from the area, both religious and secular, who were killed in battle. Lines of images {