Few ultra-Orthodox enlisting in IDF despite draft push

Army data shows that few ultra-Orthodox men receiving draft orders have enlisted, prompting the Supreme Court to grill the government over its failure to enforce the court order.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

The Israeli Supreme Court is demanding that the government explain why the recent push to draft ultra-Orthodox men has failed to reach its goals, after data collected by the army showed a declining response rate to draft orders.

On Sunday morning, the court issued an order demanding the state respond to petitions submitted by three left-wing NGOs, including the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, the Protective Wall for Democracy Forum, and Israel Hofsheet, all of whom called on the court to force the government to adhere to a landmark June 2024 ruling by the court demanding the IDF cease issuing draft deferrals for yeshiva students.

Since then, the army, under instructions from the Defense Ministry, has issued nearly 20,000 draft notices to ultra-Orthodox men – in keeping with the court order – though the response rate has remained low, declining from roughly 20% during the first wave of draft orders last year to 5% during the second wave.

Between July and October 2024, the IDF issued 3,000 draft orders to ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students who hitherto had received draft deferrals, according to data released by the army.

Of those, just 627, or slightly over 20%, appeared at induction centers in response, while 962 declared they would not serve.

Eighteen of the 2,373 who refused to show up to induction centers are under arrest orders, while 1,394 are barred from leaving the country.

During the second draft period, from November 2024 through this February, 7,014 draft orders were issued for ultra-Orthodox men, with only 367 men reporting to induction offices, for a response rate of 5.2% – roughly a quarter of the response rate during the prior four months.

The army has issued more arrest orders (2,473) and fewer travel bans (446) during the second draft period.

Since February, the IDF has mailed out 9,000 additional draft notices to ultra-Orthodox men, with 5,000 more expected during the next two months.

According to a report by KAN, Israel’s national broadcaster, 994 ultra-Orthodox men have responded to draft calls since February, with arrest warrants issued for 2,491 and travel bans imposed on 184.

In total, during the first eight months of its efforts to draft ultra-Orthodox men, the army has succeeded in beginning the draft process – measured by the number of draftees reporting to induction centers – for less than 2,000 men, far below the 4,800 annual quote set for the government.

The low enlistment figures have hampered efforts by the army to create a new, all-ultra-Orthodox brigade, dubbed the Hashmonaim Brigade.

While the program was launched last year, with the hopes of initially recruiting at least 280 soldiers, the brigade has had to repeatedly reduce its expectations, and is now projected to recruit less than one company’s worth of soldiers, with projections falling from 280 soldiers to 140 to 80 and, according to KAN radio, now a paltry 40 to 50 soldiers.

“I would be happy if there was support from [the haredi community],” Brig. Gen. Shay Taib told Galei Tzahal, the IDF radio station, “but unfortunately we have yet to see any change.

The Supreme Court has given the state until June 24, 2025 to explain why it has thus far failed to meet draft quotas in the ultra-Orthodox sector.

haredi draftIsraeli Supreme CourtUltra-Orthodox draft