The Israeli military announced Monday it will begin sending draft notices to 54,000 Ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students, following a June 2024 Supreme Court ruling that struck down long-standing exemptions for the Haredi community.
The court ruled that there is no legal basis for excluding Yeshiva students from mandatory military service, which is required of most Israeli Jews. The military plans to distribute the draft notices throughout the month and has pledged to increase enforcement against draft evaders and deserters. Swift punitive measures are expected for those who fail to report for duty.
As part of the enforcement plan, Israeli border police have been authorized to set up checkpoints and make arrests related to draft violations.
The issue of Ultra-Orthodox military exemption has long been a contentious one in Israeli society. Tensions were reignited after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault and Israel’s subsequent mass mobilization of reservists. The burden of repeated and extended deployments has strained Israel’s limited reserve forces and inflamed public frustration toward those who remain exempt.
In July 2024, the military announced it would begin drafting Ultra-Orthodox men following the court decision, but early compliance was minimal. By August, only 48 men had reported for duty out of 900 summonses sent.
Leaders from the Haredi community argue that mandatory service poses a threat to their religious way of life. Their opposition has resulted in frequent protests, including road blockages across major highways.
Meanwhile, secular and non-Haredi sectors of Israeli society have expressed growing resentment, believing they are shouldering a disproportionate share of the war’s sacrifices. Many also criticize the state subsidies that support Ultra-Orthodox communities, which are often economically and socially isolated.
While some view the new policy as a move toward societal equality, it may be driven more by urgent military needs. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) face mounting casualties and the economic toll of prolonged reserve deployments. As a result, the IDF has relied increasingly on regular army units to sustain operations in the Gaza Strip.
The crisis has been compounded by a sharp drop in reservist turnout. Over the past 21 months, the number of reservists refusing to report for duty has surged, with current participation levels estimated at just 20–25% of what they were in the early days following the October 2023 conflict.