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An impending political storm over conscripting Haredi men into the military is jeopardizing the administration and fracturing the country.

Public opinion on the matter has undergone a sea change in Israel after two years of conflict, and this is now arguably the most volatile political issue facing the Prime Minister.

The Constitutional Conflict

Politicians are reviewing a proposal to end the deferment granted to Haredi students engaged in yeshiva learning, established when the the nation was declared in 1948.

The deferment was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court almost 20 years ago. Temporary arrangements to continue it were finally concluded by the judiciary last year, compelling the administration to begin drafting the ultra-Orthodox population.

Roughly 24,000 enlistment orders were sent out last year, but merely about 1,200 Haredi conscripts showed up, according to army data shared with lawmakers.

Friction Spill Into Violence

Strains are boiling over onto the city centers, with lawmakers now debating a new conscription law to require yeshiva students into army duty together with other Jewish citizens.

Two Haredi politicians were harassed this month by hardline activists, who are furious with the Knesset's deliberations of the draft legislation.

And last week, a specialized force had to rescue army police who were targeted by a large crowd of ultra-Orthodox protesters as they tried to arrest a suspected draft-evader.

Such incidents have prompted the establishment of a new communication network named "Black Alert" to send out instant alerts through ultra-Orthodox communities and call out activists to stop detentions from happening.

"This is a Jewish state," stated an activist. "You can't fight against the Jewish faith in a Jewish country. It doesn't work."

A World Set Aside

However the changes blowing through Israel have failed to penetrate the environment of the Torah academy in Bnei Brak, an Haredi enclave on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, teenage boys sit in pairs to debate the Torah, their brightly coloured notepads contrasting with the lines of white shirts and head coverings.

"Visit in the early hours, and you will see a significant portion are pursuing religious study," the dean of the yeshiva, a senior rabbi, said. "Through religious study, we safeguard the military personnel on the front lines. This is our army."

Haredi Jews maintain that continuous prayer and spiritual pursuit defend Israel's military, and are as essential to its security as its advanced weaponry. That belief was acknowledged by Israel's politicians in the previous eras, he said, but he admitted that public attitudes are shifting.

Increasing Societal Anger

The ultra-Orthodox population has more than doubled its percentage of the country's people over the past seven decades, and now accounts for 14%. An exemption that started as an exemption for a small number of religious students turned into, by the onset of the 2023 war, a cohort of some 60,000 men not subject to the draft.

Polling data suggest support for ultra-Orthodox conscription is increasing. A survey in July revealed that 85% of the broader Jewish public - encompassing a significant majority in Netanyahu's own right-wing Likud party - supported penalties for those who declined a call-up notice, with a clear majority in supporting removing privileges, passports, or the franchise.

"I feel there are individuals who live in this country without serving," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv explained.

"In my view, regardless of piety, [it] should be an excuse not to fulfill your duty to your state," added a Tel Aviv resident. "As a citizen by birth, I find it rather absurd that you want to opt out just to study Torah all day."

Perspectives from Within the Community

Support for broadening conscription is also found among traditional Jews not part of the Haredi community, like a Bnei Brak inhabitant, who resides close to the academy and highlights observant but non-Haredi Jews who do serve in the military while also studying Torah.

"I am frustrated that the Haredim don't serve in the army," she said. "This creates inequality. I am also committed to the Jewish law, but there's a saying in Jewish tradition - 'Safra and Saifa' – it means the Torah and the defense together. That's the way forward, until the messianic era."

She maintains a small memorial in her city to local soldiers, both religious and secular, who were killed in battle. Rows of faces {