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In Israel, Military Service Debate Spotlights Ultra-Orthodox Jews and Their Growing Clout

Mass protests and a new bill expose a widening split over whether ultra-Orthodox men should keep draft exemptions as the community grows in political power.

  • Mass protests over proposed changes to military draft exemptions for Ultra-Orthodox men have intensified as Israel approaches three years of war on multiple fronts.
  • At the core of Ultra-Orthodox doctrine is the belief that studying scripture is the highest duty, above working or joining the armed forces even in wartime.
  • Fewer than 10% of Ultra-Orthodox men reaching age 18 enlist, though Ravitsky Tur-Paz estimates they will represent about 40% of the potential draft pool.
  • Israeli Gen. Eyal Zamir called such exemptions "inconceivable while troops are being asked for unprecedented sacrifice."
  • With national elections approaching, Ultra-Orthodox parties are poised to act as kingmakers in determining the future of military conscription laws in Israel.
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In Israel, military service debate spotlights ultra-Orthodox Jews and their growing clout

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish families are an unmissable facet of Israeli life. The numbers and the political and cultural clout of the adherents of this practice of Judaism are continuing to grow.

·New York, United States
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Alongside the increase in recruitment numbers from among members of the ultra-Orthodox public, the Legal Advisor to the Government stated that the phenomenon of evasion is still widespread and the scope of evasion by members of the ultra-Orthodox public is about 80% of all evasion. "It is necessary to expand the basket of personal economic enforcement measures as soon as possible"

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וואלה! broke the news on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
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