Ultra-Orthdox to be drafted into military

The issue of draft exemptions goes back to the times around Israel’s establishment in 1948, when the government allowed several hundred gifted students to pursue religious studies. The number of exemptions has grown over the years, with thousands of young religious men evading the draft to pursue seminary studies while most other Jewish men are conscripted for three years of mandatory service.

The exemptions have caused widespread resentment toward the ultra-Orthodox and were a central issue in parliamentary elections last year.

“The change begins March 13 morning and it is expected to transform the face of Israeli society,” said Yaakov Peri, a Cabinet minister from the party Yesh Atid, who helped spearhead the new legislation.

The ultra-Orthodox make up nearly 10 per cent of Israel’s 8 million people. Leaders insist their young men serve the nation through prayer and study, thus preserving Jewish learning and heritage. Itzhak Vaknin, a lawmaker from the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, said it is “unacceptable … that a Jew who studies the Torah is committing a felony”.

Beyond the claims of fairness, proponents of the law say it is an essential step toward integrating the religious sector into the workforce. Many ultra-Orthodox men continue their full-time religious studies into adulthood, collecting welfare payments and other subsidies.

A high unemployment rate has led to widespread poverty in the ultra-Orthodox sector. Israel’s central bank and international organisations have warned the country’s economic future is in danger if the religious do not join the workforce in bigger numbers.

The law does not impose universal conscription. Instead, the army will be required to draft an increasing number of ultra-Orthodox Jews each year, with the goal of enlisting 5,200 ultra-Orthodox soldiers — roughly 60 per cent of those of draft age — by mid-2017. Israel would grant financial incentives to religious seminaries that send their students to the army.