Haredi draft

The Haredi Public: A politically responsible voice from Israel's ultra-Orthodox public - opinion

Fortunately, and finally, substantial numbers of haredi Israelis are moving away from this hostile approach. They think for themselves and are seeking alternative political leadership.

Moti Leitner, chairman of the Haredi Public party, party members and supporters attend the launch of the party’s election campaign ahead of the upcoming Israeli general elections in Beit Shemesh, August 23, 2026.
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, government ministers and members of Knesset attend a plenum session and a vote on a bill to freeze arrests of haredi draft evaders at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026.

Haredi parties plan to remain outside government coalition until draft law is resolved

 Haredim protest against the IDF draft on Highway 4 outside Bnei Brak; illustrative, April 6, 2025.

25,000 seminary girls recruited to fund haredi yeshivas amid draft crisis - report

Gadi Eisenkot, leader of Yashar party and a former IDF chief of staff, speaks during an election campaign rally in Nordiya, Israel, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2026.

Is Gadi Eisenkot's biggest selling point that he's 'not Netanyahu?'


Ofer Winter says new People of Israel party will only back Netanyahu for PM

Former IDF general Ofer Winter positioned his new party firmly in the right-wing camp, backing Netanyahu and calling for changes to haredi draft policy.

 The launch of the new  People of Israel party, led by Ofer Winter, ahead of the upcoming Israeli general elections, in Jerusalem, August 25, 2026.

Deleted IDF video instructed haredi draft evaders how to avoid Ben-Gurion checks

It is unclear whether the IDF has a mechanism to prevent someone from reporting for the summons, avoiding a departure restriction, traveling to Uman, and then failing to complete enlistment.

In a video published in August 2026, the AI-generated figure dubbed "Dudi the Explainer" tells haredi draft dodgers that they can avoid arrest at the airport en route to Uman for Rosh Hashanah.

IDF to discipline religious Givati soldiers who refused to board vehicle with female paramedic

The incident comes as the IDF prepares to begin pilot programs allowing women to take on combat roles.

FEMALE IDF field intelligence collection soldiers S, D, and V in the Syrian buffer zone.

Israel 'abandoned' haredi students, education reform needed, Aliza Bloch tells 'Post' - interview

She criticized the structure of Israel's education system, arguing that the government has ceded too much responsibility for decisions affecting students to bodies outside the public sector.

Former Beit Shemesh mayor and Unity Party member Aliza Bloch in an interview with 'The Jerusalem Post.'

Haredi protesters block major Israeli highway after draft dodger's arrest

Ahead of the protest, police said Highway 4 will be blocked between the Aluf Sade Interchange in Ramat Gan and the Em Hamoshavot Interchange in Petah Tikva.  

Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protesters block Highway 4 over detention of draft dodger, August 12, 2026.

From forced conscription to integration by choice

Mental rigidity, political interests, and populist rhetoric are preventing a solution to the problem of Haredi enlistment. But are there political leaders willing to take up the challenge?

Esther Luzzatto

Shas invokes IDF soldiers in election campaign ad, drawing Gadi Eisenkot's ire

The Shas campaign video features a family gathered for a Shabbat dinner before a son returns home from his army base and embraces his family members.

Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party attends a conference in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, July 9, 2026.

'Malchieli is a murderer!' Shas condemns protests against MK over haredi draft law

Malchieli has stated that yeshiva students should be able to defer service as long as Torah study is their occupation, and recently said he would "not ask for a collective exemption for haredim."

Shas MK Michael Malchieli attends a conference for West Bank sovereignty at the Knesset, July 21, 2025.

National-religious men overrepresented in IDF reserves as haredim stay absent, IDI analysis finds

National-Religious men were found to have increased in service substantially from the start of the war until 2025, while the participation of secular men decreased the most of any group.

 THE ZIONIST identity didn’t overcome the Jewish identity, nor did the opposite occur: An IDF soldier puts on tefillin.

A-G calls for renewed arrests of haredi draft dodgers, says enforcement gap hurts IDF enlistment

Military officials said the enforcement gap stems largely from fewer arrests, since prosecutions generally begin only after draft evaders are detained or report to military facilities.

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish sector has been protesting over the attempts to draft young haredi men into the military.