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A gathering crisis over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israel Defense Forces is posing a risk to the governing coalition and fracturing the state.

The public mood on the question has shifted dramatically in Israel in the wake of two years of war, and this is now perhaps the most volatile political issue facing the Prime Minister.

The Judicial Battle

Politicians are currently considering a proposal to terminate the special status awarded to ultra-Orthodox men engaged in full-time religious study, created when the the nation was established in 1948.

This arrangement was struck down by the Supreme Court two decades ago. Stopgap solutions to continue it were formally ended by the judiciary last year, forcing the government to begin drafting the Haredi sector.

Some 24,000 call-up papers were delivered last year, but merely about 1,200 men from the community enlisted, according to military testimony presented to lawmakers.

Tensions Boil Over Into Public View

Friction is spilling onto the streets, with lawmakers now discussing a new draft bill to compel Haredi males into national service together with other Israeli Jews.

A pair of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were harassed this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are furious with the Knesset's deliberations of the bill.

In a recent incident, a special Border Police unit had to rescue Military Police officers who were surrounded by a large crowd of Haredi men as they sought to apprehend a alleged conscription dodger.

Such incidents have sparked the creation of a new alert system called "Black Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through Haredi neighborhoods and call out demonstrators to prevent arrests from occurring.

"This is a Jewish state," stated an activist. "One cannot oppose Judaism in a nation founded on Jewish identity. That is untenable."

A Realm Apart

However the transformations sweeping across Israel have failed to penetrate the environment of the Kisse Rahamim yeshiva in Bnei Brak, an Haredi enclave on the edge of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, scholars sit in pairs to analyze Judaism's religious laws, their brightly coloured writing books contrasting with the rows of formal attire and traditional skullcaps.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see a significant portion are studying Torah," the head of the yeshiva, the spiritual guide, noted. "Via dedicated learning, we shield the military personnel on the front lines. This constitutes our service."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that unceasing devotion and religious study guard Israel's military, and are as crucial to its security as its advanced weaponry. That belief was accepted by Israel's politicians in the earlier decades, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he acknowledged that public attitudes are shifting.

Increasing Societal Anger

The ultra-Orthodox population has significantly increased its proportion of the nation's citizens over the last seventy years, and now constitutes a sizable minority. An exemption that started as an exemption for several hundred yeshiva attendees turned into, by the beginning of the 2023 war, a cohort of approximately 60,000 men left out of the draft.

Surveys suggest backing for ending the exemption is growing. Research in July found that an overwhelming percentage of the broader Jewish public - even a significant majority in his own coalition allies - backed penalties for those who refused a draft order, with a clear majority in approving withdrawing benefits, passports, or the franchise.

"It makes me feel there are individuals who live in this country without giving anything back," one military member in Tel Aviv said.

"In my view, regardless of piety, [it] should be an justification not to go and serve your state," added a Tel Aviv resident. "If you're born here, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to avoid service just to engage in religious study all day."

Views from the Heart of the Community

Advocacy of extending the draft is also found among traditional Jews not part of the Haredi community, like Dorit Barak, who resides close to the seminary and points to non-Haredi religious Jews who do serve in the military while also engaging in religious study.

"I'm very angry that the Haredim don't perform military service," she said. "It's unfair. I also believe in the Torah, but there's a teaching in Jewish tradition - 'The Book and the Sword' – it signifies the scripture and the guns together. That's the way forward, until the days of peace."

The resident runs a local tribute in the neighborhood to soldiers from the area, both from all backgrounds, who were fallen in war. Long columns of faces {