Israel Gets Serious About Ultra-Orthodox Military Service: Yeshiva Students on Notice

Well, folks, it seems the Israeli High Court of Justice finally got tired of waiting. On Tuesday, they dropped a bombshell ruling that’s got everyone talking: ultra-Orthodox men, they declared, are actually obligated to serve in the military, like, you know, everyone else.

From Exemptions to Enlistment: A New Era Begins

This is huge news. For decades, the ultra-Orthodox community, also known as Haredi, has enjoyed blanket exemptions from military service, thanks to a web of laws and arrangements. It’s been a point of contention for ages, with many Israelis seeing it as unfair and divisive.

The court’s decision effectively dismantles this system, putting roughly sixty-three-thousand Haredi yeshiva (religious school) students on notice. No more free passes, fellas. It’s time to trade those holy books for some combat boots (maybe).

The AG’s Office Doesn’t Waste Time

As soon as the ink dried (or pixels faded?) on the court’s decision, the Attorney General’s Office jumped into action, firing off instructions like it was going out of style. Several government ministries got a taste of their newfound to-do list:

Ministry of Defense: Time to Mobilize

The Defense Ministry, probably still wiping the sleep from their eyes, was hit with a big one: draft three-thousand ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students by July first, twenty-twenty-four. Oh, and that’s on top of the average one-thousand eight-hundred Haredi men who’ve been enlisting annually in recent years. You could almost hear the collective groan from the recruitment offices.

But wait, there’s more! The AG also told them to come up with a plan to ramp up Haredi conscription even further, beyond those three-thousand. The goal? Equality in military service, baby! Something tells me the Ministry of Defense is gonna need a bigger coffee pot.