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A looming crisis over enlisting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army is posing a risk to the administration and fracturing the state.

Popular sentiment on the matter has changed profoundly in Israel after two years of war, and this is now perhaps the most volatile political issue facing the Prime Minister.

The Constitutional Conflict

Legislators are reviewing a draft bill to abolish the deferment granted to yeshiva scholars engaged in Torah study, instituted when the State of Israel was founded in 1948.

The deferment was ruled illegal by the nation's top court almost 20 years ago. Interim measures to maintain it were finally concluded by the court last year, compelling the government to start enlisting the ultra-Orthodox population.

Some 24,000 enlistment orders were issued last year, but merely about 1,200 men from the community showed up, according to army data shared with lawmakers.

Strains Erupt Onto the Streets

Tensions are erupting onto the streets, with elected officials now discussing a new draft bill to require Haredi males into army duty alongside other Jewish citizens.

A pair of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were targeted this month by hardline activists, who are furious with parliament's discussion of the proposed law.

Recently, a special Border Police unit had to assist enforcement personnel who were surrounded by a large crowd of ultra-Orthodox protesters as they sought to apprehend a man avoiding service.

Such incidents have prompted the establishment of a new communication network called "Black Alert" to send out instant alerts through Haredi neighborhoods and mobilize demonstrators to prevent arrests from occurring.

"This is a Jewish state," said an activist. "It's impossible to battle the Jewish faith in a nation founded on Jewish identity. It doesn't work."

An Environment Separate

Yet the shifts affecting Israel have failed to penetrate the confines of the Torah academy in a Haredi stronghold, an Haredi enclave on the fringes of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, young students sit in pairs to analyze Jewish law, their distinctive notepads popping against the lines of formal attire and small black kippahs.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see a significant portion are studying Torah," the leader of the yeshiva, a senior rabbi, explained. "Through religious study, we protect the troops wherever they are. This is how we contribute."

The community holds that continuous prayer and Torah learning guard Israel's military, and are as essential to its military success as its conventional forces. This tenet was endorsed by the nation's leaders in the earlier decades, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he acknowledged that public attitudes are shifting.

Increasing Societal Anger

The Haredi community has grown substantially its proportion of the nation's citizens over the past seven decades, and now accounts for around one in seven. A policy that originated as an exception for a small number of yeshiva attendees became, by the beginning of the Gaza war, a group of tens of thousands of men exempt from the conscription.

Surveys indicate support for ending the exemption is growing. A survey in July revealed that 85% of non-Haredi Jews - including almost three-quarters in Netanyahu's own right-wing Likud party - favored penalties for those who declined a call-up notice, with a solid consensus in approving removing privileges, the right to travel, or the electoral participation.

"It seems to me there are people who are part of this country without serving," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv said.

"It is my belief, no matter how devout, [it] should be an excuse not to fulfill your duty to your country," added Gabby. "Being a native, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to exempt yourself just to study Torah all day."

Views from Within the Community

Backing for extending the draft is also found among observant Jews not part of the ultra-Orthodox sector, like Dorit Barak, who is a neighbor of the academy and points to religious Zionists who do serve in the military while also engaging in religious study.

"It makes me angry that ultra-Orthodox people don't enlist," she said. "This creates inequality. I too follow the Torah, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'Safra and Saifa' – it signifies the scripture and the defense together. This is the correct approach, until the days of peace."

The resident manages a modest remembrance site in the neighborhood to soldiers from the area, both from all backgrounds, who were killed in battle. Long columns of faces {