Draft Them Now!

78% of the public supports canceling the existing exemption for the ultra-Orthodox

10/03/2024 17:57

Tags: ultra-Orthodox ·  IDF ·  Supreme Court ·  Itzhak Yosef

Support Cancellation of Exemption according to degree of religiosity

A number of petitions are pending before the Supreme Court challenging the refusal of the 100,000+ yeshiva students to enlist. The court deliberations commenced a few days ago, since the date of the law that facilitated their mass exemption from military or civilian service has now expired. The law expired already back in 2017, after the Supreme Court ruled that it is illegal since it severely violates the principle of equality, but the government requested postponements of the expiration date due time and again, citing as justification the many rounds of elections that took place during the years that ensued. However, the government has now reached the end of the road, beyond which the court will no longer grant additional requests for further postponements.

The Attorney General informed the court that barring government legislation on the matter by April 1st, the State does not have the authority to exempt the ultra-Orthodox and drafting them will be mandatory. She also stated that in such case - it will no longer be legal to fund yeshivas with draft-age youth who are under obligation to serve. It is impossible to exaggerate how explosive the issue is, since for decades no Israeli government has recruited ultra-Orthodox youth registered in yeshivas, in acquiescence to the demands of the ultra-orthodox religious parties, and their funding from State coffers has reached unprecedented heights.

This development has particular significance in light of the dramatic change in the needs of the army following the events of October 7th, the war in the south and the north as well as the extensive military presence in the territories of Judea and Samaria. The army needs thousands of additional 

97% of the secular public support the cancellation of the exemption, as do 87% of the traditional-non-religious public and 72% of the traditional-religious public

soldiers and demands legislation that would extends the yearly military service of reserve soldiers and postpone the age at which they will be released from the obligation of reserve service. This fact underlines the moral, social and public distortion of the mass exemption of yeshiva students from any military or civil service obligation. According to the army's data, we are talking about 63,000 soldiers up to the age of 26 who have enjoyed until today military service postponement and which is due to expire due to cancellation by the Supreme Court. However, the number is much larger in fact, since the secular and religious-Zionist public is required to serve until the age of 40 or older, and do not enjoy a full exemption at the age of 26…

For years, Hiddush has been examining the attitudes of the adult Jewish public regarding this mass exemption, and we studied and examined this in preparation for the discussion that just took place in the Supreme Court. A new poll by Hiddush shows an overwhelming majority support (78%) for canceling the existing exemption of the ultra-Orthodox from conscription to the IDF.

According to the findings of the survey conducted by the Smith Institute, 48% of the representative sample of the adult Jewish public [who expressed an opinion on the matter) oppose the continuation of the exemption and hold that yeshiva students should be conscripted like everyone else, and if they refuse, they should not receive government funding. An additional 30% support a partial continuation of the exemption for a limited quota of outstanding yeshiva students. Only 22% support continuing the current exemption. Read more… These findings were in response to the question: "Due to security needs, the government wishes to significantly extend the reserve service of

Support Cancellation of Exemption According to Political Views

the public who are already serving in the army, without canceling or reducing the exemption given to hundreds of thousands of yeshiva students. What is your position?"

97% of the secular public support the cancellation of the exemption, as do 87% of the traditional-non-religious public and 72% of the traditional-religious public. Also close to half (47%) of the Zionist Religious public support the cancellation of the exemption. In comparison, 87% of the Ultra-Orthodox public support the continuation of the exemption.

It should be noted that the comparison of the current survey with the 2023 Religion and State Index published by Hiddush in September 2023 shows that although the proportion of those who support the continuation of the exemption remains the same [22%], there has been a significant change in the approach to the necessary change: while before the war 31% supported the complete cancellation of the exemption and the conscription of all the yeshiva students, now the percentage of those that are of this opinion has increased to 48%, and at the same time the proportion of those who support the continuation of the exemption based on a limited quota has decreased from 47% to only 30%.

Among Likud voters, 78% support the cancellation of the existing exemption, as do 56% of those who voted for the joint list of the Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties. Among immigrants from the former Soviet Union, only 2% support the continuation of the exemption, 70% support its complete cancellation and another 28% support the exemption of only a limited quota of outstanding yeshiva students.

It is clear that if the politicians listen to the public this time, they will not be able to continue 

Only 22% support continuing the current exemption

the obscene deals with the Ultra-Orthodox parties, in which parties from right, center and left facilitated outright discrimination, buying the votes of the ultra-Orthodox in exchange for the exemption of hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox youth from military service. In the next elections, the public will expect to hear a commitment from the parties that they vote for not to subjugate the security of the state, the public coffers, and civil liberties to the Ultra-Orthodox parties. Perhaps a new era in the history of Israel may emerge from the pains of the war, an era in which the promise of the Declaration of Independence for freedom of religion and conscience and civil equality will be fully implemented. And in the meantime - the Supreme Court needs to know that a huge majority of the public supports a Court’s ruling in favor of the sea change that is needed regarding the conscription of yeshiva students.

The survey was conducted between February 21-22, 2024, among 600 people constituting a representative sample of the adult Jewish population in Israel. Sampling error ±4.0%

Breaking News

Chief Rabbi Itzhak Yosef announced on Saturday night "If you force us to go to the army, we'll all move abroad", claiming that "the soldiers only succeed thanks to those learning Torah".

His threat was seconded by additional Haredi leaders and the director general of the Ministry of Religious Services, who confirmed that if the rabbis so ordered he and all Torah students would leave Israel.

What more do our readers need to fully understand the depth of the conflict over the core identity of the State of Israel, and how unacceptable it is for such senior officials to hold high State offices and be funded by Israel's tax payers.

Support for Cancellation of Exemption According to Vote in Knesset Elections