Israeli defence ministry begins drafting Charedi Yeshiva students

It is estimated that some 63,000 students are currently enrolled in yeshivas and theoretically now legally subject to the draft.

The current government arrangement that allowed an exemption came into existence under David Ben Gurion around the time of the establishment of the state of Israel to exempt some 400 senior yeshiva students from temporarily serving in the army so long as their sole occupation was studying the Torah.

Over the years, as the Israeli population grew, the number of Charedi men eligible for the exemption under the arrangement grew significantly, from an estimated 800 men in 1968 to over 41,000 in 2005, becoming a contentious political issue in the country.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish boys and men sit in front of a bus during a protest against the expiration of a law preventing them from being drafted into the IDF, March 18, 2024 (Credit: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)Getty Images

Hundreds of Strictly Orthodox protesters have for several weeks been attempting to disrupt daily life in the country to protest the expiration of the law. 

Many belonging to the extremist group Jerusalem Faction blocked a major highway in Israel outside the city of Bnei Brak on Monday during a demonstration against mandatory conscription, with police arresting at least six people. They held signs that read “To jail and not the army” and “Stalin/Russia is here”, and “We will die rather than draft”.