"I'll Go" vs "I'd Rather Die Than Go"... Israel in Turmoil Over Haredi Conscription

Israel's First Haredi Military Unit Completes Training
Commemorative Ceremony Held Amid Growing Domestic Conflict Over Ultra-Orthodox Conscription

The first military unit in Israel composed solely of Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox Jews, has undergone combat training. According to Yonhap News on August 6 (local time), citing local media outlets such as The Times of Israel and Ynet, "The Haredi unit of the Israel Defense Forces, the Hasmonean Brigade, held a ceremony after completing seven months of training, marching to the western wall of Jerusalem's Old City, commonly known as the 'Wailing Wall,' and distributing navy blue berets to the soldiers."

On the 23rd of last month (local time), Haredi men protested against conscription in Jerusalem, Israel. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News, a 21-year-old Haredi soldier who participated in the graduation ceremony said, "Haredi now have the opportunity to find a place of service under appropriate conditions," and added, "For those who want to develop both faith and expertise, there is no better place than this." A Haredi woman whose son enlisted stated, "Our military and reserves are collapsing," and continued, "Those who should continue studying the Torah (the Pentateuch, the Jewish scripture) must do so, but others should enlist and contribute."

Conscription of Haredi is a major controversy in Israel. Haredi refers to ultra-Orthodox Jewish believers who live in strict religious communities according to the Torah. They wear white shirts, black suits, and black-brimmed hats as prescribed in the scriptures, and grow their beards and side curls long. They have been exempt from military service and taxes because they are regarded as a group that preserves Jewish culture and scholarship, which nearly faced extinction during the Holocaust by Nazi Germany in World War II.

However, as the war in the Gaza Strip that broke out in October 2023 has dragged on and the shortage of military personnel has become more severe, the Israeli government began conscripting Haredi last year. In June last year, the Israeli Supreme Court unanimously ruled that "the exemption from military service for Haredi men is illegal and the government must proceed with conscription," thus providing a legal basis for the draft.

As a result, tens of thousands of Haredi men gathered in Jerusalem to protest. The placards they held read, "I'd rather die than go to the army," and "Not a single man can be taken." They fiercely resisted by setting fires in the streets and throwing stones at vehicles.

The Haredi leadership has strongly opposed conscription, issuing instructions to students at traditional Jewish schools, or yeshivas, to refuse enlistment. Haredi religious parties have also threatened to leave the coalition government if conscription is enforced, raising the possibility of the cabinet collapsing. There are about 80,000 Haredi youths aged 18 to 24, the age of enlistment, and currently about 2,700 have joined the military.

According to authorities in the Gaza Strip, the war between Israel and Hamas, which broke out in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, has continued for more than one year and nine months, resulting in a cumulative death toll of 60,034 and 145,870 injured. In addition, according to an announcement by the Israeli government in January this year, 454 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 2,840 wounded in this war.