Israel Defers Draft Date of Ultra-Orthodox Yeshiva Students
Due to the delay in the passage of Israel’s new draft-reform bill, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has decided to defer the conscription of yeshiva students who have already received their draft notices until November.
During the course of this year, 560 yeshiva students received draft notices in accordance with the Defense Service Law, which states that enlistment to the Israel Defense Forces is mandatory for all citizens who have turned 18. They were to be drafted on August 18.
Last week, Haredi lawmakers tore their clothes as a sign of mourning and held a special prayer service after the Knesset approved Yesh Atid’s draft-reform bill on its first reading by a vote of 64 to 21 on Tuesday morning. The bill, drafted by a committee headed by Jacob Perry (Yesh Atid), stipulates that Haredim who have reached age 18 will be obligated to join the army starting in 2020. According to the bill, over the next seven years — three years after the acclimation period that has been set for the reform — Haredim will be able to defer their enlistment until the age of 21 “to study Torah.”
The state is expected to submit an official response Monday, as part of a petition submitted on the draft issue to the High Court of Justice. Supreme Court President and Chief Justice Asher Grunis set a deadline of today for the state prosecutor to respond to the petitioners, and explain how the defense minister intends to act regarding yeshiva students who are supposed to report for duty starting this August.
Read more at Haaretz.com.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!