In an update to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Lt. Col. Avigdor Dickstein, head of the IDF’s Charedi Recruitment Branch, reported that the military is falling significantly short of its goal to enlist 4,800 Charedi men during the current 2024–2025 draft cycle. As of now, only 1,721 have enlisted.
“We set ourselves a target of 4,800 and we will not reach that,” Dickstein acknowledged, noting that while enlistment numbers are slightly improving, they remain far below what the army considers necessary. “There is an upward trend here, but it is not sufficient and does not correspond to the very large operational need,” he told the committee.
Out of 18,915 Charedi men who received initial conscription notices, only 232 have thus far reported for service, with just 57 volunteering for combat roles. In contrast, 1,840 ignored the draft order altogether and were issued immediate call-up notices—failure to respond to these results in being labeled a draft evader.
Those classified as draft evaders face serious consequences, including “no-exit” orders preventing them from leaving the country. According to Dickstein, 962 Charedi men have already been officially declared draft evaders, while 68 received exemptions on various grounds.
One of the IDF’s most effective enforcement tools has been Ben Gurion Airport. Since January, 340 eligible individuals were held for questioning at the airport—322 while attempting to leave the country. Of these, 100 were barred from departing; half of them were Charedim.
“Currently, the most significant and effective sanction is Ben Gurion Airport; there is currently no other sanction,” Dickstein said. “There is the ability to make arrests, but it is extremely ineffective. If I grab him and put him in a police car, will he end up enlisting?”
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13 Responses
Even one lost Jewish soul is too many, I hope all the ones that enlisted make it out with Shabbos still in their bag. Unfortunately many members of Israel don’t seem to mind if even many Souls get lost as long as they have their soldiers, just shows you their priority of body over soul. The Eternal matters more
There is a simple way to get out of the draft. Just walk in with a Ben Gevir meir kahane shirt. They won’t draft extremist Jews.
rebSheker
Ever see a shul in the Paratrooper or almost any other infantry base on Shabbat? It’s jam packed. In fact, my major religious “issues” in the army are mostly stuff like whether a young active service guy is gonna daven Carlebach while I lack the patience for such a long davening at my age.Army regulations in army kitchens are even stricter than in restaurants.
The reason why some Haredim become non religious in the army is because they were on the fence before joining. They no longer have the mashgiach breathing down their neck, so they do whatever they want. If all their time in yeshiva didn’t give them the emunah to actually want to remain religious, that’s the problem with their yeshiva, not the army. My command will not care if I daven or learn, so it’s all a matter of personal responsibility, which in the real world is called being an adult.
But the Haredi community could meet the country half way. Don’t draft people in Ponevich or Hevron or Mir. Leave Kol Torah alone. But what about those Haredim who hang around Ben Yehuda every night or those who just shmooze all day long? If the yeshivas were to endorse drafting the students who are just coasting and not learning, society would probably agree to not draft those who are actually learning.
this will not change while Bibi and his coalition remain in control.
Like the very ‘realistic’ picture of the soldier with the sefarim shelf containing only a set of Nach and a few gemaras. This helps illustrate why the ‘chappers’ don’t get anywhere with the Chareidim. They don’t even understand enough of the nuances to fake it. I live in Israel in a Chareidi community that for various reasons was thought by the powers that be to be an easy target for recruiting. One day some years ago, when Bennett and friends were still in positions of power, some friendly strangers came to town. They were from the army, and they were opening a ‘Kollel’ paying 5000 shekels a month (much more than normal for an Israeli Kollel). The only ‘catch’ was that the ‘avreichim’ had to wear army uniforms (while learning, doing nothing else relevant to military service). Other than that, they were free to learn, and go back home at the end of the day. Our Rav said nothing doing. I haven’t heard of such a ‘kollel’ since then, so my guess is that no other Chareidi Rav or community bought their ‘lukshen’.
By the way, the numbers, as presented in the article, don’t add up. Were there 1721 recruits or 232? The army has an ‘operational need’ for Chareidim like they need a hole in their head. The only people who ‘need’ Chareidim in the army are the left wing politicians/media/judiciary who want to destabilize the Netanyahu government. Even they don’t really want actual Chareidim in the army, because that would interfere with their other goals of ‘gender integration’ and progressive ideological indoctrination. Speaking as someone who lives here, the only two groups inside Israel who sincerely want to see Chareidim join the Army are the Bennett-type subset (‘Mamlachti’) of (not so)Dati-Leumi, and the ‘Chardakim’/formerly-Chareidi. Those two groups genuinely want Chareidim to enter the army, but they don’t want Chareidim to leave the army… They are the ones who come up with ideas like the ‘kollel’ from my previous comment.
To clarify, when I mentioned ‘Bennett-type’ Dati-Leumi I meant to exclude Mercaz Harav (and similar types), Chardalim (all flavors), and most Mitnachalim, who respect and love their fellow Shomrei Mitzvot and Lomdei Torah, even if they have their own ideology WRT the State and the army.
I dont have money to give the 10 or so cheredim who come from rbsב every day during shacharis. i dont think anyone from א is collecting in ב. I love to support poor people, but what if i dont have enough to support a community that chooses to limit its employment to a fraction of available jobs. (law requires army service for most jobs besides for the fact the army pays decently)
‘sensibleyid’ – The law never required army service for non security-related jobs. Many years ago Israeli employers tended to judge job applicants by their army experience, among other considerations. Someone who served with distinction in an elite unit could open doors in his post-army career. Back then, the most difficult and dangerous jobs in the army were done by good-old-boys from the Kibbutzim with impeccable leftist credentials. Those days are long gone. The biggest demographic in the high-risk high-investment units of the IDF (but NOT in the upper tier leadership…) is the Dati Leumi. The second biggest is Traditional Sephardic. Just look at the names and faces of most of the soldiers killed in Gaza, available right here on YWN. Both of those groups volunteer (no one is compelled to davka join those units) because they believe in what they are doing. The ‘Tzfonbonim’ from Tel Aviv either serve in the Army news and media desk jobs like Yair Lapid, or they go to college in Europe and don’t serve at all. Despite all of this, the types of employers whose grandparents would have preferred to hire an alumnus of Sayeret Matkal, would today much prefer to hire the Tzfoni.
There is a separate problem, that anyone CURRENTLY USING the Yeshiva/Kollel exemption, (not someone who used it in the past) is in fact restricted in his ability to be legally employed. The people you see collecting are presumably old enough and have enough kids to get a complete exemption, which would allow them to be employed, so the army red herring is again not relevant.
If you really don’t have enough money to give a few coins to some guys collecting, maybe you SHOULD go collecting yourself in Ramah Bet. If you need assistance, we don’t discriminate based on what kippah you wear…
Rabbi Lazer Brody was born into a Secular Jewish family.
He became a Baal Teshuvah during his time in the Israeli Army.
Square Root, what are you saying? That we should all raise our children in secular families so that they can become Lazer Brody?
Rabbi Lazer Brody was born into a Secular Jewish family.
He became a Baal Teshuvah during his time in the Israeli Army.
He became a Breslov Chasid and a Rosh HaYeshivah and kiruv activist.
His children are all Chareidi, and all of them served in,
or serve in, the Israeli Army, except for one of his sons,
who became a Rosh HaYeshivah.
Reb Sheker
Your imbecilic comment shows how the masses will drink any coolaid presented.FACT THE HOLY RAV SHLOM ZALMAN AUREBACH WOULD STOP AT HAR HERTZEL TO DAVEN BECAUSE OF THE BOYS THERE AND THEIR MESURAS NEFESH FOR KLAL YISROEL. Next time you go to Israel think of the blood of all the boys who gave their lives so you could go to the kosel…