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A gathering crisis over drafting Haredi men into the Israeli army is posing a risk to the governing coalition and fracturing the state.

The public mood on the issue has undergone a sea change in Israel following two years of conflict, and this is now arguably the most divisive political challenge facing the Prime Minister.

The Judicial Conflict

Lawmakers are reviewing a piece of legislation to abolish the special status given to yeshiva scholars dedicated to Torah study, established when the modern Israel was established in 1948.

The deferment was struck down by the Supreme Court almost 20 years ago. Stopgap solutions to extend it were officially terminated by the bench last year, pressuring the government to start enlisting the community.

Roughly 24,000 draft notices were issued last year, but only around 1,200 men from the community enlisted, according to army data presented to lawmakers.

Tensions Boil Over Into Public View

Strains are boiling over onto the city centers, with parliamentarians now deliberating a new legislative proposal to compel Haredi males into military service in the same way as other secular Israelis.

A pair of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were harassed this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are enraged with parliament's discussion of the proposed law.

In a recent incident, a special Border Police unit had to extract Military Police officers who were targeted by a sizeable mob of ultra-Orthodox protesters as they tried to arrest a alleged conscription dodger.

These enforcement actions have sparked the creation of a new communication network called "Emergency Alert" to spread word quickly through the religious sector and mobilize activists to prevent arrests from happening.

"We're a Jewish country," stated one protester. "It's impossible to battle Judaism in a nation founded on Jewish identity. It is a contradiction."

A World Set Aside

However the shifts affecting Israel have not reached the confines of the Torah academy in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city on the fringes of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, teenage boys study together to analyze Judaism's religious laws, their brightly coloured writing books contrasting with the lines of white shirts and small black kippahs.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see many of the students are pursuing religious study," the dean of the yeshiva, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, said. "Through religious study, we safeguard the military personnel in the field. This constitutes our service."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that unceasing devotion and spiritual pursuit protect Israel's military, and are as vital to its military success as its advanced weaponry. This conviction was endorsed by the nation's leaders in the earlier decades, the rabbi said, but he acknowledged that public attitudes are shifting.

Growing Societal Anger

This religious sector has significantly increased its proportion of Israel's population over the since the state's founding, and now accounts for 14%. An exemption that started as an exception for a small number of Torah scholars became, by the onset of the 2023 war, a body of tens of thousands of men exempt from the draft.

Polling data show backing for ending the exemption is increasing. A survey in July revealed that a large majority of non-Haredi Jews - encompassing almost three-quarters in his own coalition allies - favored penalties for those who ignored a enlistment summons, with a solid consensus in approving cutting state subsidies, passports, or the right to vote.

"I feel there are citizens who are part of this country without giving anything back," one serviceman in Tel Aviv commented.

"In my view, no matter how devout, [it] should be an reason not to perform service your state," said a Tel Aviv resident. "Being a native, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to exempt yourself just to study Torah all day."

Voices from the Heart of a Religious City

Support for extending the draft is also expressed by religious Jews not part of the Haredi community, like a Bnei Brak inhabitant, who resides close to the seminary and highlights religious Zionists who do enlist in the army while also engaging in religious study.

"I am frustrated that ultra-Orthodox people don't serve in the army," she said. "It's unfair. I am also committed to the Torah, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it means the Torah and the guns together. This is the correct approach, until the arrival of peace."

She manages a local tribute in the neighborhood to soldiers from the area, both religious and secular, who were lost in conflict. Rows of faces {