Israeli ultra-Orthodox community gets new military draft notices as tensions rise
Israeli military starts drafting 7000 ultra-Orthodox Jews breaking decades-old exemption tradition. Defense ministry promises to respect religious practices while expanding forces for current conflicts
In a ground-breaking move‚ Israels defense ministry began sending draft-notices to ultra-Orthodox Jews starting this past sunday (a step that adds more heat to the long-standing religious-secular divide)
The ministry plans to draft about 7000 members from the ultra-Orthodox community - known as Haredi - after the Supreme Court blocked their age-old exemption last summer. This decision comes as Israel needs more troops for its multi-front operations
Back in the late-40s when Israel was just starting out the government let religious students skip military service. But now with Netanyahuʼs coalition under pressure from over-worked reservists things are changing fast. The defense ministry says its gonna work with religious leaders to keep the Haredi soldiers traditions safe
Some facts about recent changes:
- First batch of 1000 ultra-Orthodox got drafted in mid-summer
- Religious parties in government dont like this new policy
- Some rabbis tell their followers not to answer draft calls
- Defense ministry promises special arrangements for religious needs
The Haredi community leaders say mixing their young men with non-religious soldiers (especially female ones) could harm their way of life; but the military needs more people as it deals with conflicts on different fronts
