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An impending crisis over conscripting Haredi men into the military is threatening to undermine the administration and fracturing the country.

Popular sentiment on the issue has undergone a sea change in Israel in the wake of two years of conflict, and this is now possibly the most volatile political issue facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Struggle

Politicians are reviewing a proposal to end the deferment awarded to ultra-Orthodox men dedicated to Torah study, created when the State of Israel was established in 1948.

The deferment was declared unconstitutional by Israel's High Court of Justice two decades ago. Stopgap solutions to continue it were officially terminated by the bench last year, forcing the government to commence conscription of the ultra-Orthodox population.

Some 24,000 enlistment orders were issued last year, but only around 1,200 men from the community enlisted, according to military testimony given to lawmakers.

Tensions Boil Over Into Violence

Strains are boiling over onto the city centers, with elected officials now discussing a new draft bill to force yeshiva students into military service in the same way as other Israeli Jews.

Two representatives were confronted this month by hardline activists, who are furious with the Knesset's deliberations of the proposed law.

In a recent incident, a special Border Police unit had to rescue army police who were surrounded by a big group of community members as they attempted to detain a suspected draft-evader.

Such incidents have sparked the creation of a new communication network called "Dark Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through Haredi neighborhoods and mobilize demonstrators to stop detentions from occurring.

"Israel is a Jewish nation," stated one protester. "You can't fight against the Jewish faith in a nation founded on Jewish identity. It doesn't work."

A World Set Aside

But the shifts blowing through Israel have not reached the confines of the Torah academy in an ultra-Orthodox city, an Haredi enclave on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

In the learning space, scholars sit in pairs to analyze the Torah, their brightly coloured notepads contrasting with the lines of white shirts and small black kippahs.

"Visit in the early hours, and you will see half the guys are studying Torah," the dean of the yeshiva, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, explained. "Through religious study, we protect the military personnel on the front lines. This is our army."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that continuous prayer and Torah learning defend Israel's military, and are as vital to its military success as its advanced weaponry. This conviction was acknowledged by Israel's politicians in the past, the rabbi said, but he conceded that the nation is evolving.

Growing Societal Anger

The Haredi community has significantly increased its proportion of the country's people over the past seven decades, and now accounts for 14%. What began as an exception for a few hundred religious students evolved into, by the beginning of the Gaza war, a cohort of approximately 60,000 men exempt from the national service.

Polling data show support for ultra-Orthodox conscription is increasing. Research in July revealed that 85% of the broader Jewish public - even a large segment in his own coalition allies - backed penalties for those who refused a call-up notice, with a clear majority in favor of cutting state subsidies, travel documents, or the franchise.

"It makes me feel there are people who reside in this country without contributing," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv explained.

"It is my belief, no matter how devout, [it] should be an reason not to go and serve your nation," said Gabby. "Being a native, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to opt out just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Perspectives from Inside the Community

Advocacy of extending the draft is also coming from observant Jews not part of the ultra-Orthodox sector, like one local resident, who lives near the academy and points to non-Haredi religious Jews who do enlist in the army while also maintaining their faith.

"I'm very angry that this community don't serve in the army," she said. "It is unjust. I also believe in the Jewish law, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it signifies the scripture and the defense together. This is the correct approach, until the messianic era."

She runs a modest remembrance site in Bnei Brak to fallen servicemen, both observant and non-observant, who were lost in conflict. Lines of photographs {