Military service

The haredim do not have a credible argument for avoiding IDF service - opinion

Israel cannot sustain a system where one segment of society fights, pays taxes, and bleeds, while another group is draining the societys resorces without contributing in return.

 A group of ultra-Orthodox Jews blocked traffic and the light rail  in Jerusalem demonstrating against a Haredi draft into the IDF. February 26, 2024.
A soldier from the IDF observers unit; illustrative.

IDF observers forced to endure harassment, poor conditions - report

 Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir. March 25, 2025.

Israel Katz publishes IDF chief's letter warning of manpower shortage amid haredi draft debate

Israeli musician Eyal Zakai reflects on Gaza service, song written dedicated to fallen soldier.

Israeli musician Eyal Zakai reflects on Gaza service, song written dedicated to fallen soldier


IDF should conscript Arabs to serve instead of haredi draft dodgers - opinion

The demographic potential of Muslim Arab men aged 18 stands at over 12,500 young men per year – a figure equivalent to the enlistment potential of haredi men.

HAREDIM BLOCK a road to protest the arrest of yeshiva students who failed to comply with an army recruitment order, near Bnei Brak, on Monday.

'Why did you bring me here?': Panel of olim discuss 'accidental' aliyah

Who pays the price of aliyah? Some 'accidental olim' - children who made aliyah not by choice, but by circumstance - share their experiences.

Shifra Jacobs and her beloved late dog Lexi.

The right to vote should not depend on IDF service - opinion

Voting is not a privilege to be earned; it is a fundamental right of citizenship. 

Israel heads to another round of elections on November 1.

High Court: Haredi students with unsettled military status won't get national insurance discounts

Yeshiva students who have not settled their status with the military or procured a valid exemption will not be eligible for relevant discounts on national insurance.

 Haredim protest against the IDF draft outside Tel Hashomer recruitment base, April 28. 2025.

Let them serve with dignity: Inside Eli Beer’s plan to welcome haredim into national life

“We are tearing ourselves apart – not from external threats but from inside” the founder and president of United Hatzalah states

HAREDI VOLUNTEERS in the Ten Kavod program

South Korea's military shrinks amid massive drop in population

The dramatic decline in the pool of available males for military service is also causing a shortfall in the number of officers and could result in operational difficulty if it continues.

South Korean army K1E1 tanks cross a pontoon bridge during a US-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise which is a part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Yeoncheon, South Korea, March 20, 2025

International yeshiva students answer IDF's call as Har Etzion breaks records

This week, 32 overseas students from the prestigious yeshiva will be drafting into the IDF alongside their Israeli peers – the highest number in the yeshiva’s 56-year history.

HARAV AHARON LICHTENSTEIN, longtime rosh Yeshivat Har Etzion, with IDF soldiers in 2008.

Greece situation shows caution is important, shouldn't deny right to see the world - editorial

The images of 1,600 Israelis stranded off the Greek island of Syros were a reminder that Israeli tourists can face hostility simply for their passports.

Protesters hold a banner during a pro-Palestinian protest in front of the parliament building in Athens, Greece.

How the Iran war impacted Israel's haredi conscription debate - opinion

The war with Iran has created ripples in Israel's domestic social and political fabric, particularly regarding the debate over ultra-Orthodox military service.

HAREDI DEMONSTRATORS protest in Jerusalem, earlier this year, against serving in the military. The decreased immediate need for substantial expansion of the army’s ranks lessens the pressure to accelerate haredi conscription, says the writer.

Court gives prosecution one week to explain lack of draft-dodger sanctions

The larger issue is surrounding the tensions on the lack of a law that would exempt eligible ultra-Orthodox (haredi) men from getting drafted.

 Haredim protest against the IDF draft on Highway 4 outside Bnei Brak; illustrative, April 6, 2025.