Hiddush report exposes Israeli government's misleading claims about ultra-Orthodox enlistment to the IDF

Contrary to the claims of Science and Technology Minister Yaakov Peri, Hiddush's report demonstrates that the number of IDF recruits plummeted by close to 50% in the first half of 2014.

08/09/2014 17:22

Tags: equality in sharing the burden · yaakov peri · ultra-Orthodox enlistment

Minister Yaakov Peri of Yesh Atid, chair of the Committee for Implementing Equality in Sharing the Burden, meets ultra-Orthodox soldiers on an Israeli Air Force base. Photo: Yosi Zeliger/Flash90

The Knesset committee responsible for tracking the Ultra-Orthodox Conscription Law, headed by Science and Technology Minister, Yaakov Peri (Yesh Atid) claimed that, compared to the previous year, in 2013-2014, there was a significant rise of enlistment (by 39%) of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students to the Israeli Army (IDF). The report claimed that this year, 1,972 ultra-Orthodox recruits joined the IDF's ranks, compared to 1,416 recruits in the previous year, and 1,327 the year before.

Hiddush Vice President of Research and Information Shahar Ilan's analysis of IDF draft numbers reveals that that there are some figures that Minister Peri did not bother to share with the Israeli public.

In the first half of the 2013-2014 draft year (July-December 2013), before ultra-Orthodox enlistment became an explosively controversial issue, 1,235 ultra-Orthodox recruits joined IDF ranks.

In the second half of the draft year (January-June 2014), during the height of the haredi draft controversy, the number of ultra-Orthodox recruits severely plunged by 40% to 737 recruits. It is clear that the Minister Peri used figures from before and after the ultra-Orthodox draft controversy to forge an optimistic picture of growing ultra-Orthodox enlistment. However, the figures from the past six months visibly demonstrate the law's complete failure to draft ultra-Orthodox recruits.

Hiddush CEO Rabbi Uri Regev has called on the government to remove the blinders from the eyes of the Israeli public.

"The Conscription Law caused extensive damage to ultra-Orthodox enlistment efforts. We must hope that perhaps the haredi support for the Israeli Army during Operation Protective Edge will ease the damage caused by the law." He said.

Rabbi Regev emphasized that, "It's a shame that the government coalition that passed the Haredi Conscription Law still have not yet understood that revolutionary changes aren't made through press releases but through tangible policy changes."

The Israeli government's claims of a dramatic increase in ultra-Orthodox IDF enlistment is about as accurate as Hamas declaring an overwhelming victory in Gaza.

Rabbi Regev commented that, "The Israeli government's claims of a dramatic increase in ultra-Orthodox IDF enlistment is about as accurate as Hamas declaring an overwhelming victory in Gaza. These are the same exact figures that were presented to the Shaked Committee (which was tasked with preparing the conscription law) in the Knesset two months ago and were rightly presented as a complete failure. It is clear that the number of ultra-Orthodox recruits dropped by 40% because of the faulty Conscription Law."

The Law's failure is apparent after examining the figures from the same period in the previous year. In the six months before the tensions over ultra-Orthodox enlistment intensified (the second half of 2013) there was a dramatic rise in enlistment by 56% from 793 ultra-Orthodox recruits during that period in 2012 to 1,235 recruits in 2013.

On the other hand, in the first half of 2014, which was deeply affected by the tensions over ultra-Orthodox enlistment, there was an increase of only 18% from 623 recruits to 737. This number is half of the amount of enlistees needed to reach the government's goals as laid out in the Conscription Law. If the enlistment rates during the first half of 2014 remain the same throughout the whole year, the IDF would not come close to achieving its stated draft goals.

Haredi Enlistment to the IDF

Ultra-Orthodox draftees (July-December 2013): 1,235

Ultra-Orthodox draftees (January-June 2014): 737

Percentage change: -40%

Intended goal for rise in ultra-Orthodox enlistment as stipulated in the Ultra-Orthodox Conscription Law: 33% (from 1,500 to 2,000)

Rise in ultra-Orthodox enlistment in the second half of 2013: 56% (23% more than the government's goal)

Rise in ultra-Orthodox enlistment in the first half of 2014: 18% (15% less than the government's goal)>