Draft

Laundering human capital: The reckless amnesty bills and their debasement of the Torah - opinion

Under the guise of concern for the world of Torah, two bills are on the table: the Basic Law: Torah Study on the one side, and the Law of Exemption from Arrests on the other. 

|ByOFRA LIFSHITZ
Haredi anti-draft protesters block Highway 4 near Bnei Brak denouncing the detention of a draft dodger, February 9, 2026.
An Israeli soldier guard as young men gathered during a demonstration by Ultra-Orthodox Jews against Israel's military draft on June 17, 2026 outside the Beit Lid military base in Kfar Yona, Israel. The conscription of young ultra-Orthodox men into the military, from which they were long exempt.

Likud MK Kallner opposes criminal arrests for haredi draft evaders, backs economic sanctions

Kallner, a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, told 103FM that he does not think arresting yeshiva students is 'the right way.'

|By103FM
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters demonstrate against the arrest of ultra orthodox jewish men who took part in a protest outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg and were later handed over to the military police, outside the Abu Kabir detention facility, June 10, 2026. Ilustrative.

WATCH: Haredi protesters block entrance to IDF's Central Command HQ in Jerusalem

The haredim, who were protesting against mandatory conscription for ultra-Orthodox men, were seen blocking part of the gate, screaming at soldiers, and not letting them through.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon, published April 13, 2026; illustrative.

IDF soldiers to enter reserve duty immediately following mandatory service - report

"It is illogical and unreasonable in a democratic country to bring in reserve soldiers for another hundred days of reserve duty this year, already in the third year," a senior IDF official told N12.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

NGO calls on High Court to cut funding for alternative yeshivas, citing IDF draft evasion

The ultra-Orthodox IDF draft has come to a head as the Israel-Hamas war has seen reservists completing hundreds of days of duty. IDF says it needs more manpower to deal with the new security reality.

JANUARY 23, 2025ByEVE YOUNG
‘THE HAREDI leadership argues that it is forbidden to draft yeshiva students whose Torah is their profession and that they defend the State of Israel through their studies.’

IDF needs to act on recruiting haredim - opinion

Only a conscription law that includes minimal exemptions and with teeth will enable the continued defense and prosperity of the state.

DECEMBER 28, 2024BySHUKI FRIEDMAN
IDF CHIEF OF STAFF Halevi salutes after placing a wreath during a ceremony marking a year since October 7, 2023, at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem. After over 14 months of intense fighting, the army’s burden has hardly decreased, says the writer

Israel Police's violence knows no bounds - comment

The Israel Police is actively adding fuel to the fire.

DECEMBER 20, 2024ByTAMAR URIEL-BEERI
A CONFRONTATION takes place between haredim and police at a protest against drafting the ultra-Orthodox into the military, outside the IDF Recruitment Center at Tel Hashomer.

My Word: Wide awake in a war

Is IDF service suitable for every single young haredi man? No. But there can no longer be an excuse for mass exemptions.

DECEMBER 20, 2024ByLIAT COLLINS
IDF SOLDIERS take part in an army stretcher drill. Israel’s population also needs to carry its share of the burden.

Failure to draft ultra-Orthodox cost economy NIS 8.5 billion - study

These estimates were based on publicly available information and BDO estimates, and the calculation was based on conservative assumptions.

DECEMBER 19, 2024ByEVE YOUNG
HAREDI MEN learn at the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem’s Mea She’arim, Sept. 13, 2023.

Younger sisters of two observers murdered on Oct. 7 enlist to the IDF on the same day

Both girls said that they thought their big sisters would be proud of them, and the watches they inherited will help them remember to keep in touch with their parents in the weeks ahead.

DECEMBER 15, 2024ByHANNAH BROWN
FAMILIES AND SUPPORTERS of Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hamas from the Nahal Oz surveillance outpost on October 7 demand the release of all hostages held in Gaza, outside the home of Shas head MK Aryeh Deri in Jerusalem, earlier this week.

'Throw them in the toilet': Yitzhak Yosef urges students to 'tear up' draft orders

"What do we have without our Torah? Why did we come here—to become secular? If a draft notice arrives, tear it up. Do you have a toilet at home? Flush it down,” Yosef said.

DECEMBER 5, 2024ByYAKI ADAMKER
Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef during a shaharit prayer in the northern Israeli city of Tzfat, September 17, 2024.

Knesset debates bill to lengthen mandatory IDF service to 36 months

The expansion of the IDF's manpower is with the aim of meeting heightened security needs and reducing the burden on reservists.

AUGUST 7, 2024ByELIAV BREUER
IDF soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, August 4, 2024

Israel on its way to temporarily extending mandatory IDF service

Knesset extends IDF service to 36 months temporarily, sparking debate over fairness and military readiness amid financial concerns and opposition.

JULY 18, 2024ByYAKI ADAMKER
An IDF soldier is seen wearing a Jewish tzitzit while carrying a weapon in Jerusalem, May 13, 2024

Shas spiritual leaders encourage haredim to refuse draft orders

The message stated Shas rabbis “have firmly instructed that as of now, with no new law yet established to regulate the status of yeshiva students, no draft orders or summons should be responded to."

JULY 17, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
The July 18 issue of the Shas newspaper Haderech.