It’s a perennial but repeatedly back-burnered issue in Israel: Should haredim (often called “ultra-Orthodox Jews”) who are studying religious texts full time be conscripted into military service?
For obvious reasons, the question has come to the fore again. In the weeks after Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, the desire to defend their country militarily overrode for many the exemption Haredi Jews are given from the mandatory military stints served by other Israelis, men and women. By the end of October it was estimated that some 2,000 Haredi men had volunteered for the Israeli Defense Forces.
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