Tzvi Joffre
Unpacked, Mar. 31, 2024
“We recognize the fact that the state was established as a secular state, and we do not expect it to be religious. But as such, it cannot put our children into a melting pot that will turn them into secularists, just as the secularists will not agree to forcibly bring their children into the Haredi melting pot and they will become Haredi.”
As the war in Gaza continues, Israel’s government faced turmoil on Thursday when the High Court of Justice announced that the government could no longer defer the conscription of Haredim to the military and must stop funding yeshivas where undrafted Haredim study.
This announcement followed the government’s failure to agree on a new law to regulate the draft exemption that has been granted to Haredim since the state’s establishment. Haredi MKs insisted on maintaining the blanket exemption, while other government members are calling for change.
The discussions surrounding the law have sparked outrage from much of Israeli society. Many argue that the law would mean Haredim would not equally “bear the burden” of protecting the country, especially amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.
Let’s unpack the intensifying debate surrounding this law and why it has sparked such intense emotions within Israeli society.
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