ISRAEL HAREDI DRAFT CONTROVERSY
Ongoing political and legal battle over mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews in Israel, including Supreme Court rulings, benefit penalties for draft evaders, and rabbinical refusal to comply.
3 articles
Rabbis' conference against IDF conscription: 'When the Messiah comes, we'll have to stone secular Jews'
YNET"כשהמשיח יבוא - נצטרך לסקול חילונים": כינוס הרבנים נגד הגיוס לצה"ל
Jun 7, 2026, 01:45 PM
At a conference in Netivot against the 'Kodkod' technology track for ultra-Orthodox soldiers in the IDF, prominent Lithuanian-Haredi Rabbi Chaim Feinstein launched a fierce attack on Haredi enlistment, amid escalating rhetoric over the draft.
Penalties for Ultra-Orthodox Draft Evaders Revealed; Rabbis Vow Students Will Not Serve
YNETהסכומים שיישללו מהמשתמטים, ומתקפת מנהיג הציבור הליטאי על בג"ץ: "רשעים"
Apr 26, 2026, 05:00 PM
Following a Supreme Court ruling on mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox men, details of financial penalties for draft evaders are emerging, while leading ultra-Orthodox rabbis and politicians reaffirmed that yeshiva students will not serve — igniting a new political crisis in Israel.
Government Not Conscripting Ultra-Orthodox Per Law — Supreme Court Cancels Benefits for Draft Evaders
YNETהממשלה לא מגייסת חרדים לפי החוק - בג"ץ מבטל שורת הטבות למשתמטים
Apr 26, 2026, 11:27 AM
In a landmark ruling, the Israeli Supreme Court found that the government has been systematically violating a court order on ultra-Orthodox military conscription, and cancelled a series of financial benefits for draft evaders — ruling that the mass non-compliance amounts to a knowing breach of law.