Draft

Under the guise of concern for the world of Torah, two bills are on the table: the Basic Law: Torah Study on the one side, and the Law of Exemption from Arrests on the other. 

Kallner, a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, told 103FM that he does not think arresting yeshiva students is 'the right way.'

The haredim, who were protesting against mandatory conscription for ultra-Orthodox men, were seen blocking part of the gate, screaming at soldiers, and not letting them through.

"It is illogical and unreasonable in a democratic country to bring in reserve soldiers for another hundred days of reserve duty this year, already in the third year," a senior IDF official told N12.

The wording in the proposal emphasizes Torah study as “a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel.”

Among men aged 20 to 29 from haredi homes who reported past IDF service, 71% no longer identified as haredi when surveyed, according to the organization Out for Change.

The most recent proposal advanced is a bill that would halt the arrests of haredi draft evaders, which is set to be debated on Tuesday in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

The bill seeks to enshrine Torah study in the country’s Basic Law as part of a proposal that critics argue encourages draft evasion and changes the status of yeshiva students who do not serve.

Protests cause heavy traffic on 29 major roads • Social media footage shows protesters and secular citizens in violent physical altercations • MKs Goldknopf, Malkieli attended protests

It is inconceivable to most of us living here that in the minds of some in the religious leadership in this country there is a belief that studying Torah is fully equivalent to serving in the army.