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An impending political storm over conscripting Haredi men into the military is posing a risk to the governing coalition and dividing the country.

The public mood on the question has undergone a sea change in Israel in the wake of two years of hostilities, and this is now perhaps the most explosive political issue facing the Prime Minister.

The Judicial Conflict

Politicians are currently considering a draft bill to end the exemption awarded to ultra-Orthodox men dedicated to full-time religious study, established when the modern Israel was established in 1948.

This arrangement was declared unconstitutional by Israel's High Court of Justice in the early 2000s. Stopgap solutions to maintain it were finally concluded by the judiciary last year, pressuring the government to commence conscription of the ultra-Orthodox population.

Roughly 24,000 draft notices were issued last year, but only around 1,200 ultra-Orthodox - or Haredi - draftees enlisted, according to defense officials shared with lawmakers.

Friction Boil Over Into Violence

Tensions are erupting onto the city centers, with parliamentarians now discussing a new legislative proposal to force yeshiva students into army duty alongside other Jewish citizens.

Two representatives were harassed this month by hardline activists, who are enraged with the legislative debate of the bill.

In a recent incident, a specialized force had to rescue army police who were attacked by a sizeable mob of ultra-Orthodox protesters as they sought to apprehend a alleged conscription dodger.

Such incidents have sparked the creation of a new messaging system called "Emergency Alert" to spread word quickly through the religious sector and call out protesters to prevent arrests from happening.

"We're a Jewish country," stated an activist. "It's impossible to battle Judaism in a nation founded on Jewish identity. It doesn't work."

A World Separate

Yet the changes blowing through Israel have failed to penetrate the confines of the religious seminary in a Haredi stronghold, an Haredi enclave on the edge of Tel Aviv.

In the learning space, scholars learn in partnerships to discuss Jewish law, their distinctive notepads popping against the lines of formal attire and small black kippahs.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see many of the students are studying Torah," the head of the seminary, the spiritual guide, explained. "By studying Torah, we safeguard the soldiers on the front lines. This constitutes our service."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that unceasing devotion and spiritual pursuit guard Israel's soldiers, and are as essential to its defense as its conventional forces. That belief was acknowledged by Israel's politicians in the previous eras, the rabbi said, but he conceded that Israel was changing.

Rising Societal Anger

The ultra-Orthodox population has more than doubled its share of the country's people over the past seven decades, and now constitutes 14%. What began as an exemption for a small number of Torah scholars became, by the onset of the 2023 war, a cohort of some 60,000 men left out of the draft.

Opinion polls show backing for ending the exemption is increasing. A survey in July revealed that an overwhelming percentage of secular and traditional Jews - encompassing almost three-quarters in his own coalition allies - supported sanctions for those who ignored a draft order, with a firm majority in favor of removing privileges, passports, or the franchise.

"It seems to me there are citizens who live in this country without serving," one military member in Tel Aviv explained.

"In my view, no matter how devout, [it] should be an excuse not to perform service your country," said Gabby. "If you're born here, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to exempt yourself just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Views from Inside Bnei Brak

Backing for broadening conscription is also found among religious Jews outside the ultra-Orthodox sector, like a Bnei Brak inhabitant, who is a neighbor of the academy and notes observant but non-Haredi Jews who do serve in the military while also engaging in religious study.

"I am frustrated that the Haredim don't perform military service," she said. "This creates inequality. I also believe in the Jewish law, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'Safra and Saifa' – it signifies the scripture and the guns together. This is the correct approach, until the days of peace."

Ms Barak maintains a local tribute in the neighborhood to soldiers from the area, both religious and secular, who were lost in conflict. Rows of images {