Religious scholars have broad exemption from military service. But critics say that's no longer sustainable, given their fast-growing population and the war in Gaza.Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men pray at a yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel, on March 21. The war in Gaza has prompted calls for Israel to end military exemptions for full-time religious students.Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men pray at a yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel, on March 21.
And the clock is ticking. Facing a deadline set by the nation's Supreme Court, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is supposed to present a military draft plan by the end of the month. He could either extend the exemption, or embrace growing calls for change. Either way, he faces opposition that threatens his ruling coalition.
In fact, after the attack a couple thousand ultra-Orthodox did sign up for military service. And polls showed more Haredim support for the military. But for many Israelis, who overwhelminglySince the surprise Hamas assault, Israel has been fighting on three fronts: A punishing military campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health; stepped up battleswith the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.
But Haredi families have on average six or seven children, and that birth rate makes them the fastest growing segment of Israel's population. They now make up more than a quarter of enlistment age men, according to Yonahan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute.For one thing, to get out of military service you can't hold a job. That's seen as a drag on the economy and a growing financial burden for the rest of the nation.
After high school, instead of religious study he went to Brazil, created a business and stayed several years. When he returned to Israel, the military tracked him down and forced him to enlist. Reiss says that's when he realized religious young men were not prepared for military service, or other jobs.
Binyamin Savrasov, 19, says he's not from the most religious family, and actually has two older brothers who served in the army. But it didn't go over well when their ultra-Orthodox community found out they were enlisting.He's confident he can keep his religion while in the military, and thinks it's only right to enlist."If it's not you, it's your brothers or your cousins or someone who's not as religious as you. So you're just being selfish," he says.
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