The Haredi Military Draft Debate: Balancing Tradition, Duty, And Israel’s Future
The issue of drafting Haredim into the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is a long-standing debate in Israel. David Hager, a prominent figure in the Haredi community, has been at the forefront of this conversation.
His insights, including those from his experiences, highlight the resistance to integrating the ultra-Orthodox into the military.
Despite efforts like the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, the tension between religious devotion and national obligations persists, as David Hager Los Angeles continues to advocate for a solution that respects both sides.
Q: The figures regarding drafting Haredim in recent years have remained unchanged. The Haredim are not running en masse to sign up. Why is this the case?
A: That’s true. In 2014, a senior politician said that if they failed to meet the quotas, something which was generally accepted by all, then yeshiva students would go to jail. I drove to his house in Tel Aviv and begged him.
I told him, “You know full well that if you throw 200 Haredim into jail, there will be an outcry, and within minutes, half a million people will be in front of the Knesset.” He refused to listen to me, which only increased the objection to joining the army.
As a result, the hard-line ultra-Orthodox ‘Jerusalem Faction’ became stronger, stirring up strong feelings among the Haredi public, and everything just collapsed. Today, ultra-Orthodox soldiers are afraid of entering BneiBrak in uniform. The number of soldiers in Netzah Yehuda was supposed to double since 2014; however, this has not been the case. It is genuinely not possible to achieve anything by coercion.
Q: You are ignoring the fact that there were dark clouds surrounding the Haredi battalion. For example, the incident about eighteen months ago involving the elderly Palestinian man who was cuffed and died, as well as the abuse of Palestinians by combat soldiers after a terrorist attack. How does this affect the image of the battalion?
A: In which battalion did ElorAzaria serve? Nobody knows. I asked a group of 300 people, all of whom were familiar with his story, along with several IDF major generals, but no one knew that he served in the Shimshon Battalion.
Yet, whenever the Netzah Yehuda Battalion is involved in something, journalists and the public jump at the opportunity to stress that it was ultra-Orthodox soldiers who did it. The simple answer lies in the statistics. Not only is the battalion not involved in more problematic incidents than others, but on the contrary.
In contrast to other battalions, which serve for four months in Judea & Samaria and then train or serve on other fronts like the Golan Heights or Gaza, Netzah Yehuda spends the entire year in Judea & Samaria, which leads to a tremendous level of erosion.
Q: Despite all of this, it seems that Haredim still does not widely support joining the IDF. A few years ago, it was exposed that the IDF inflated the numbers of those joining up to meet quotas. Is this still an issue?
A: Today, the possibility of serving in the IDF is also available in the Haredi world. Take Avi, for example. He was in yeshiva and went to England for three months, even though he received authorization from the army for only one month based on his declaration of “ToratoUmanuto,” which means his Torah study is his occupation.
When he returned, he was drafted, and his plan was to shoot in the air after receiving his service rifle to obtain an exemption due to mental health issues. However, his perspective changed after experiencing military life and praying in the special “vatikin” morning prayers.
He even consulted Rabbi Shteinman, who advised him to remain in the army, as being on the streets could be an issue of pikuachnefesh (saving a life).
Conclusion:
The challenge of drafting Haredim reflects the broader struggle of balancing religious values with national duties. Finding a solution that respects both sides is essential for Israel’s social cohesion and security.
David Hager Los Angeles 