The anger toward ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel has surged amid the Gaza war and a broad mobilization, with many questioning the decision of some in the haredi community to delay military service to preserve religious study. This stance finds support from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced pressure to balance national duty with religious autonomy.
The debate intensified after several demonstrations in recent days, shaking the already fragile coalition government. Protesters and commentators alike call on the leadership to act in the name of social equity within the country, pointing to a sector that has long benefited from exemptions while others serve. The tension reflects a broader struggle over who bears the burden of defense and how minority groups fit into a unified national project.
In the center of Jerusalem, a confrontation unfolded when some young people shouted insults such as “lazy scum” and “parasites” toward a small group of about twenty ultra-Orthodox demonstrators who came to mock the protest with prayers, dancing, and chants of “I would rather die than join the army!” The scene captured a painful clash of identities, generations, and loyalties in a city that embodies Israel’s political and religious fault lines.
Nearby, roughly a thousand marchers, waving Israeli flags, gathered to demand that the government compel the haredim to fulfill military service for the good of the nation. Included among the crowd were reservists like Oren Shvill, a 52-year-old engineer living in a West Bank settlement, who joined the demonstration to emphasize the collective expectation that all capable citizens share the responsibilities of defense and civic duty.
Moments after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, many reservists, including Shvill, returned to their units. He described the personal toll, noting that his wife could not sleep and stressing that the entire society must contribute to the struggle. The event underscored the immediate and enduring pressures on national unity during a time of existential threat.
Historically, exemptions from military service for haredim were established at Israel’s founding in 1948. Full-time study at yeshivot—institutions dedicated to talmudic study—carried a special status designed to preserve a small elite whose scholarly pursuits were seen as essential to the survival of Jewish religious life after the Shoah. The policy allowed a small group of around 400 young people to prioritize religious scholarship, shaping a long-running debate about the balance between religious study and national service and the implications for social equity and national resilience. The present-day discussions revisit these roots, asking how to maintain a cohesive society while honoring diverse paths of religious and civic life.
— [Attribution: Contemporary reporting synthesizing multiple perspectives on Israeli defense policy and social protest] —