The new draft conscription law, formulated between MK Yuli Edelstein and representatives of the Chareidi parties, includes a series of strict measures against bnei yeshivos who exercise their freedom of religion and do not enlist in the IDF.
For the first time, three categories of restrictions were agreed upon, which will apply to bnei yeshivos, with some of them to be imposed even if recruitment targets are met.
Rights and obligations: The Chareidim agreed to permanent restrictions that will apply to potential recruits studying Torah, regardless of meeting recruitment targets. The restrictions include limitations on academic studies, subsidies for work, tax credit points for workers, and vocational training, within the framework of what was called the “rights and obligations model.”
Movement restrictions: Another dramatic clause stipulates restrictions on the issuance of driver’s licenses, as well as bans on leaving the country for bnei yeshivos who declare that “תורתם אומנותם.”
Sanctions on subsidies: The law will also include economic sanctions, which will apply to the subsidization of day care centers for working Chareidi women if the targets are not met. The achievement of the targets will be examined at the end of each year, and in parallel, an interim examination will be conducted after six months.
However, the parties agreed that the law will regulate the status of those who received conscription orders during the period when a valid conscription law was not in effect, conscription orders that were defined as stemming from a legal vacuum and not from a coherent policy.
Principles of the Conscription Plan:
Mandatory conscription for bnei yeshivos ages 18-26.
The law’s defined targets:
The recruitment of 4,800 bnei yeshivos in the first year, 5,700 in the second year, and within five years, the recruitment of 50% of Chareidim in the 18-26 cohort.
However, if 95% of the recruitment target is achieved, it will be considered that the targets have been met and no sanctions will be applied.
Immediate personal sanctions
• Suspension of drivers’ licenses and inability to obtain a new license
• Bans on leaving the country (with an exceptions committee)
• Cancellation of affirmative action in the public service; cancellation of subsidies for academic studies; whoever works (meaning neither studies nor enlists) – loses tax credit points until age 26.
Sanctions on not reaching targets:
After six months: If the targets are not met, discounts will not be provided for the second half of the year for daycares and public transportation.
After one year: Failure to meet targets will lead to non-receipt of benefits such as Bituach Leumi, the “Mechir L’Mishtakein” program [house lottery], and subsidies for second-hand apartments.
After two years: Failure to meet targets will result in the revocation of additional benefits, such as after-school programs and purchase tax in the third year.
Institutional sanctions on yeshivos:
If 75% or more of the target is met, any percentage gap will be doubled and deducted from the yeshiva budget.
For example, if 90% of the target is met, the remaining 10% will be taken, doubled, and 20% of the yeshiva budget will be reduced.
If less than 75% of the target is met, 100% of the yeshiva budget will be canceled.
According to the proposal, the law will be defined as a temporary order for a period of six years.
If, after four years, continuous achievement of the annual recruitment targets is not achieved, the law will expire and be automatically repealed.
If the targets are met, the law will be extended for an additional year each time.
Senior Chareidi officials said: “This is not an easy law for the Chareidi public, but it is better than the situation today.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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16 Responses
Sanctions against Bnei Torah will be met with Sanctions against the non-State of Israel and its politicians by the international community – מדה כנגד מדה
Sounds crazy.
So if you are an Arab you get all benefits. You don’t go to the army. You get a good vocational education. You get medical benefits. And if you kill a Jew your family gets a bonus payment each month from the PA which is funded directly from the Israeli government. Then you get released from prison in exchange for hostages. Sometimes out of good will you get released for no exchange of anything. Some country.
So, are the leaders who signed the letter saying no Chareidi should ever join the IDF going to recind it? Otherwise, the Chareidi world is in for a world of hurt – especially in the pocketbook.
And YWN – the vast majority of Chareidim are not “exercising their freedom of religion” by refusing to serve – the only ones who might – just might – qualify as acting as a matter of conscience are Satmar and the Eida, who have always refused to both take from and give to the State. The remainder are perfectly willing to take – they just refuse to give. “Sheli sheli, v’shelach sheli” is what this epitomizes – and we all know what Pirkei Avos calls someone with that attitude.
an Israeli Yid
Sounds like a good start, I’m glad everyone could agree on it.
> Suspension of drivers’ licenses and inability to obtain a new license
> Bans on leaving the country (with an exceptions committee)
This is a great law, with the government ensuring that talmidei chachamim zitz and learnt instead of going on tiulim. I suspect that roshey yeshivos secretly insisted on these rules. As early Israeli Mir Rosh Yeshiva was telling students: I am signing yuor papers that you are a full-time learner, please work at 100%, I never lied and I hope I didn’t with you.
There is no freedom of religion exemption for the IDF draft. Get real.
An IsraeliShmadYid would starve rabbanim and Yeshiva bachurim if it meant having more shmad soldiers in his precious tzioni army. Where were they October 7th? Why should we send any more precious children to die for their lack of competence? And you sticking up for horrible politicians that call to punish learning day and night while funding all the Arabs who kill us? You shouldn’t call yourself a Jew even. If the rabbi say no to the Army then that’s the answer, you are nobody to contradict them
Bill is DOA. I don’t see how it passes and if it does, the supreme court will strike it down. The only thing this does is buy time for Bibi and the chareidi parties.
anIsraeliYid – We give the state plenty in taxes. We will not give them our children’s neshamos. Everyone knows the real reason the Chareidim don’t go to the army. If they would be interested in completely restructuring the army is terms of צניעות and gender separation, then there would be what to talk about. They aren’t, to put it mildly, (and they are legally prevented from doing so by the good old Bagatz), so most Chareidim will live with the consequences until age 26 rather than join the army. We will remember this when we become the majority…
Another Israeli Yid.
nbednarsh – There is actually just such an exemption, for religiously observant girls… That implicitly validates the real reason we don’t send our boys… ודי למבין
nurenberg laws from amulek all over again. if the jews don’t keep the Torah, Haman will convince us.
For many years — in fact most of my life — I was supportive of the idea of Lomdei Torah as a protection for Klal Yisroel. But recently, I have come to realize that they themselves don’t believe it. If they truly felt that they were on the battlefield of ruchniyus, and that the success of the war depended on their learning, they would walk around with a seriousness and gravity in their pursuits, and all Bein Hazmanim breaks would be cancelled.
Rather, the general attitude I see is one of superiority and smugness, and critique of those who are actually dying to help protect them. Proclamations that they would rather leave Israel than serve only spit in the face of the thousands of families who have had their sons injured or killed.
Of course there are exceptions, but their overall lack of care about others in Klal Yisroel who are being Moser Nefesh is appalling, and has cost them my support, and the support of many others.
@rebSheker (see? I can do that too) – I have no Chiyuv to support people who have the ability to support themselves and choose not to. I can support them if I want to – but they have no entitlement to anything.
As to where the army was on 7 October – a number of them were actually home or in Yeshiva celebrating the Torah on Simchas Torah – the army had authorized more than the normal number of leaves so as to enable people to be home for the Chag. If you meant to ask why HKB”H allowed the army to misjudge the danger from Gaza, I can’t answer you – the same way that I can’t answer why HKB”H allowed Rabbanim in Europe to misjudge the danger from the Nazis and therefore instruct their followers to stay. But we are ma’aminim – so while we are required to do our utmost hishtadlus according to the Derech haTeva, we know that it’s all ultimately up to HKB”H – right?
As to why we send our sons to defend their fellow Jews in a Milchemes Mitzvah – it’s because it’s a Chiyuv to do so, according to both the Rambam and the Rema, and we follow Halacha Pesuka. Do I wish we had better civilian leadership? Of course I do – but that does not exempt us from the Chiyuv.
I know you don’t like my Rabbanim – and that’s your prerogative. But don’t claim that you have an exclusive license to Torah or Psak – and your Rabbinic leaders should not do so either.
a proudly Zionist Israeli Yid – who actually learns and follows Halacha
anIsraeliYid
Let me get this straight. The 20-35% income tax, 30% capital gains and 18% Value Added Tax that we’ve been paying is called only taking and not giving?
Shockingly, the comments on this site have gone from bad to worse. As a yid who learnt in Yeshiva my entire youth and then went to Kollel, I find myself scared to read the hate that has permeated the “frum” world. The lack of Hakoras Hatov to every Yid that goes to the Army, the Nivul Peh towards fellow Yidden is simply shocking.
I am at a loss for words.
We obviously don’t share the same Torah.
May we all do Teshuva and watch how we speak about our fellow Yidden who are fighting to protect Am Yisroel in a time like this.
@Yaakov Yosef A – the army has specific tracks and programs that are very much in line with Tznius and gender separation – to the extent that women are barred from certain bases. The army has made very significant attempts to meet purported Chareidi requirements – only to have Chareidi leaders come up with still other reasons as to why their followers should not serve. The lack of honesty on the part of Chareidi leaders is a massive Chilul Hashem.
@Israeli Chareidi – your percentages of tax are incorrect. Individual income tax can go up to 53%, and capital gains is usually 25%, though it can sometimes be 30% – and you left out Bituach Leumi. You did get the VAT rate right, though – congratulations.
As to taking more than giving – how much tax is paid by the Chareidi population as compared to the non-Chareidi population? I’ll give you a hint – a disproportionately small amount. This is to to a number of factors, including the fact that many Chareidim do not work, work off the books, or work at relatively low-paying jobs since they don’t have the basic education necessary to obtain higher-paying jobs. On the other hand, because of their lower income, they qualified for some significant government benefits – whether in the form of reduced Arnona, lower-cost day care, or extra eligibility for Mechir Lamishtaken. And for the record – giving does not only include giving cash – and Chareidim, unlike most other Israeli Jews, do not give literally years of their lives, or put their lives on the line, to defend their fellow Jews. So yes, I stand by my statement that they’re perfectly willing to take – but much less willing to give.
an Israeli Yid