DM Katz Introduces Principles of Emerging Haredi Draft

Photo Credit: Miriam Alster/FLASH90

A Haredi Jewish soldier is kissed his family member after attending a swearing-in ceremony in the IDF Nahal Haredi unit, May 26, 2012.

The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, chaired by MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud) convened Tuesday morning for a debate of the proposed Haredi draft bill, during which Defense Minister Israel Katz introduced the principles behind the draft outline currently being developed.

At the start of the meeting, Katz stated: “I came here today to present principles for a draft outline that will lead to the conscription of tens of thousands of Haredim for meaningful service while ensuring the conditions necessary to maintain their lifestyle. The goal is to ease the burden on regular, reserve, and permanent soldiers. I came to promote unity and strengthen society and the people of Israel.”

He further stressed that “Two central principles guide me. The first is ensuring the conscription and integration of the Haredi public into meaningful service while preserving their lifestyle. The second is preserving the Jewish Torah world. I will not advance a law that does not align with these two principles.”

Notably, no IDF representatives were present at the discussion, aside from the Defense Minister’s military secretary.

Katz announced that the draft outline aims to achieve a target of conscripting 50% of 18-year-old Haredim within seven years. He emphasized that the state would impose both economic and criminal sanctions on Haredim who evade conscription, as well as on institutions whose students fail to enlist.

The proposed economic sanctions include denying daycare subsidies for children of Haredi men subject to conscription who do not report for service. Katz also clarified that service in civilian entities, such as ZAKA and United Hatzalah, would not be considered conscription.

Haredi Jewish men arrive at the Bakum Reception and Sorting base in Tel Hashomer, August 1, 2013. / Flash90

Under the presented outline, 4,800 Haredim would be conscripted in the first year of the legislation, followed by 5,700 in the second year. However, from the third year onward, no set conscription targets will be established. Instead, the number of conscripts will gradually increase each year until the final goal of 50% of conscription is achieved within seven years.

Katz expressed confidence that his outline would receive the approval of the Haredi leadership. He told the committee, “Without an agreement, there are no results and no recruitment; that’s how it’s been over the years.” Katz further stated that, at present, there is “zero increase in recruitment” and that, in fact, there has been a decline in recruitment since the IDF sent thousands of draft notices to Haredi youths.

However, a senior United Torah Judaism party official told reporters that the party would firmly oppose the conscription of 50% of Haredi 18-year-olds. The source added that the party would also reject the imposition of criminal sanctions on Torah students.

“There is no such thing as sanctions on Torah students,” the official insisted. “We did not agree and will not agree to that.”

NEXT DOOR AT MICKEY LEVY’S COMMITTEE

The State Control Committee, chaired by MK Mickey Levy (Yesh Atid), also held a debate on Tuesday regarding the service of Haredim in the IDF. The army’s objectives were presented, following which several MKs and reserve officers criticized the IDF’s approach to drafting Haredim, specifically the focus on setting numerical targets. They argued that this approach is disconnected from reality and the military’s actual needs on the ground. Furthermore, they emphasized that this bean-counting approach fails to consider the substantial potential for a broader draft from the Haredi community.

Brig.-Gen. (res.) Reem Aminoach expressed his view in the debate, stating, “The army that mobilized tens of thousands of people for reserve duty within 24 hours knows how to organize itself for anything, including a full draft of Haredim. Draft orders should be issued for all of them, in order to reach the objectives.”

Former MK Col. Eyal Ben Reuven also weighed in, saying, “If the state doesn’t give the army the tools to draft all [the Haredim], and no significant sanctions are imposed, no soldiers will join the IDF.”

Israeli soldiers walk by Haredi youths in Jerusalem, March 02, 2014. / Nati SHohat/FLASH90

Committee Chair Levy emphasized, “The IDF’s need for drafting Haredim does not stem from political considerations or merely a desire for equal sharing of the burden. This is a real professional need. The burden is already heavy, and it is expected to grow even more without an immediate solution. A significant budget is needed to cope with the current situation, and it is estimated that an entire new division is needed.”

An IDF division (Ugdah) has between 13,000 and 20,000 soldiers, depending on the corp.

Levy continued, “The committee believes that the IDF recruitment officer is required, by law, to issue draft orders for everyone. Without personal sanctions, the process simply won’t move forward. In addition, drafting the Haredim could save the state treasury NIS 30 billion ($8.3 billion). The committee will continue to monitor the issue to ensure the advancement of the necessary solutions.”

Brig.-Gen. Shai Tayeb, head of the IDF’s Human Resources Planning and Management Division, outlined the draft targets for the upcoming year, which runs from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. The objective is to draft 4,800 Haredim. Tayeb explained, “The overall need defined at the start of the process stood at about 10,000 soldiers, but updated figures indicate a need for about 12,000 soldiers, including 7,000 combatants.”

He noted that the recruitment process also involves addressing gaps in defining new institutions for Haredim, which requires further adjustments in the draft.

For the 2025 draft year, Tayeb expects a 20% increase in the number of recruits, reaching approximately 5,700 Haredim. He added that in the following draft year, the IDF would be able to receive an unlimited number of recruits.

Regarding the current draft process, Tayeb updated that the IDF initially issued 3,000 draft notices, later adding another 7,000 for those whose status as yeshiva students had been revoked.

He mentioned that the number of individuals reporting for service was dynamic: “At first, we stood at 40 from 3,000, and now we have reached over 400. Some report for duty but don’t enlist. Until now, over 70 have enlisted from these orders.” Tayeb also noted that sanctions against those who did not report for duty existed but were not strong enough. He explained, “In practice, a person who breaks the law may only face sanctions if they leave the country or are arrested by the police. To make the sanctions more effective, they should be linked to the individual’s daily behavior.”