Ultra-Orthodox Jews scuffle with police during a protest against the drafting of ultra-Orthodox, outside an IDF Recruitment Center in Jeursalem, October 31, 2024. (Photo: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced plans to more than double the number of draft notices issued to young ultra-Orthodox Jewish men (Haredim) as part of ongoing efforts to increase their enlistment. The IDF announced on Thursday that 1,000 new draft notices will be issued to Haredim on Sunday.
Over the summer, 3,000 draft notices were sent out , however, only about 300 men responded by enlisting, as several ultra-Orthodox rabbis instructed their followers to ignore the summons. The IDF plans to send out another 6,000 draft orders in the next six to eight weeks.
Out of the 300 new ultra-Orthodox recruits, half are aged 18-20, 40% are 21-23 and just 10% are 24 years and older. The IDF has sought to accommodate the Haredi demographic and make the draft more attractive by offering the recruits the possibility of fulfilling their military service in technical and logistical capacities at a Hardened Aircraft Shelter located on an Air Force base, where only men will serve.
Alternatively, Haredim have been offered the “Yoav Track” in the Logistics Command, which includes a variety of technical and logistical roles throughout the entire IDF. There is also a new unit for Haredim to sere at the camp Ofer Prison, where, beginning Dec. 26, ultra-Orthodox men will be able to join a new Haredi-only fighting brigade.
Furthermore, the IDF has recruited a new ultra-Orthodox lieutenant colonel to focus specifically on the Haredi population in the IDF, ensuring their particular religious needs are met.
Despite these measures, the overwhelming majority of Haredim still refuse to serve, even when threatened with arrest orders. However, despite approximately 930 arrest orders, The Jerusalem Post reported that “there has been no noticeable spike in actual arrests.”
The IDF is not expected to make widespread arrests but will instead penalize those who refuse to serve by barring them from traveling abroad, with the risk of arrest at the airport for violators.
“I was contacted by the Haredi administration, and they informed me of two orders I had missed,” one man said. “I told them that, just as they have a commander who instructs them, my commander is the rabbi, and he advised me not to enlist. They insisted I report within 48 hours or face an arrest warrant,” he told Ynet News in September.
Around 900 ultra-Orthodox men were drafted in the last third of the year, which is an 85% increase in relative terms. If that trend continues, the total number of new Haredi recruits will be 2,700 annually, compared to 1,800 annually until now.
The problems with low draft rates are in large part created by the pressure in the Haredi community not to comply with the draft orders.
The IDF reported that 50% of the 3,000 Haredim initially issued draft orders expressed openness to joining the military. However, many later reversed their decisions due to intense pressure from their religious communities, including incidents where groups physically blocked draft centers to prevent draftees from entering IDF bases.