Yossi Levi is a member of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, whose exemption from compulsory military service is dividing Israel and threatens to topple its government. He is also a major in the infantry reserves of the Israel Defense Forces

Israel’s ongoing debate over compulsory military service has been ignited by the ultra-Orthodox community's exemption, a policy causing division within the nation and posing a risk to the government's stability. Yossi Levi, a member of this community, stands out as he holds the position of a major in the infantry reserves of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). His dual role highlights the complexity and the contentious nature of the conscription debate in Israel, where military service is mandatory for most citizens but allows exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox.

This exemption has led to significant societal and political debates, bringing into focus issues of duty, fairness, and the role of the ultra-Orthodox community within Israeli society. The situation encapsulates the tension between preserving religious and cultural practices and the need for national security, as well as the equitable distribution of civic responsibilities among all segments of the population. The involvement of figures like Levi in the IDF illustrates the potential for bridging divides, but also underscores the challenges in finding a resolution that satisfies all parties involved.



Israel’s ultra-Orthodox ignites conscription debate

Yossi Levi is a member of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. He is also a major in the infantry reserves of the Israel Defense Forces, IDF. In times of war, the long-standing military exemption for the ultra-Orthodox, also known as Haredim, is dividing the country. Secular Israelis are angry that they are shouldering the risk and drudgery of fighting in Gaza. On the other side, many Haredim say they will not accept forced conscription. We prefer to die and not to go to the army. But some, like Levi, come forward voluntarily to serve in the army. He says attitudes are softening within some parts of the community towards military service amid the war in Gaza, and that he hopes could be enough to ease the current crisis. And I feel that in the Haredi society, a lot of people, they are much more support the idea of they feel that something different now. They feel that they need to be part of it. They feel that the terrorism attack can come to the Haredi neighborhoods. The ultra-Orthodox Haredi community has been exempt from military service since the founding of Israel in 1948. The country's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, exempted about 400 students from military duty so they could devote themselves to religious study. Ben-Gurion had hoped to keep a life's sacred knowledge and traditions almost wiped out in the Holocaust. Since then, the ultra-Orthodox Jews have gone from being a tiny minority to making up more than 13 percent of the country's population. Many Haredi men do not work, but live off donations, state benefits, and the often modest wages of their wives, many of whom do work. Levi says around 10 percent of the Haredim come forward voluntarily for the standard three years of military service. That amounts to just 1,200 ultra-Orthodox volunteers a year, a tiny number compared to an estimated 170,000 active soldiers, and nearly 500,000 reservists in Israel. The IDF does not publish official troop numbers. Most of the ultra-Orthodox volunteers serve in seven units tailored for their needs. They have all-male training staff, strictly kosher rations, and lectures by rabbis. Levi also runs the Netzer Yehuda organization that encourages ultra-Orthodox enlistment. We can double it and can triple it in one, two years, and we can see a lot of Haredim, and it's going to be enough for the IDF. They don't want all of the Haredim in the IDF service. For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this issue has also come to a head. His government relies on ultra-Orthodox support for its survival. The two Haredi parties in his coalition want to keep exemptions for their communities. Their departure could trigger new elections, which opinion polls indicate Netanyahu would lose. On the other hand, Netanyahu's own defense minister, Yoav Galant, and his allies want a far broader conscription law. Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, Israel's Sephardi chief chaplain and the spiritual mentor of ultra-Orthodox party shahs, warned the government that Haredim would move abroad rather than be forced into the army. 25-year-old Shimi Schlesinger is a Haredi seminary student. The situation regarding the military service is very difficult. We understand the sorrow of the secular families on the other side who serve in the military. But honestly, we aren't able to serve in the military because without the Torah, there would not exist a Jewish community. The military contradicts our values of the Haredi community. These two conditions make it clear that we cannot enlist, and I believe that the Torah protects us even more than the military. That's a fact that October 7th reveals. The IDF declined to comment on the conscription debate, referring policy questions to the government.

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