WSJ Publishes Article Explaining Why Yeshiva Students Should be Exempt from Draft

NEW YORK (VINnews) — The Wall Street Journal published a story on Friday, describing the recent movement to fully exempt yeshiva students from being drafted into the Israeli military.

The piece, entitled “In Israel, Army Service Is Required for All. That Could Now Change”, written by Dov Lieber, described the momentous policy currently being considered by Bibi Netanyahu’s government.

Although the article described both sides of the debate, certain excerpts defended the Charedi viewpoint in ways that the media seems to typically avoid. In fact, it described how those studying Torah are the true protectors of Israel and the Jewish People.

Here are some excerpts:

“Ultra-Orthodox Jews argue that they contribute to the safety of the state by fulfilling what they see as a religious obligation to study the Torah.”

“‘At the time of King David, the nation was divided between those who went to war and those who stayed and studied’,” said David Rot, 24, an ultra-Orthodox yeshiva student. “‘Those who went to war would be victorious thanks to the continual Torah study of those who stayed behind. It’s that way today too.’”

The piece continued: “Israeli governments have multiple times passed laws to exempt ultra-Orthodox men from military service, only to have them declared unconstitutional by the Israeli Supreme Court. Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers have also called for gender segregation in public spaces in their neighborhoods and the halting of most public transportation on the Sabbath, among other efforts to entrench religious law into public life.”

“The fight over mandatory military service also underscores how Israeli identity is changing. Once a foundation for social cohesion, recent polling shows a majority of Israelis now support scrapping conscription altogether.”

“Support for a mandatory draft fell under 50% for the first time in 2021 and stayed that way in 2022, according to polling by the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem-based think tank.”

“Draft rates are also falling. Less than half of draft-age Israelis actually enter military service, in part because of the rapid growth of the ultra-Orthodox population, who decline to serve. There is also a rise in exemptions for mental health or other reasons, data shows.”

The article later continued, “The draft was established when Israel was founded as the small nation was embroiled in a series of major wars against its Arab neighbors when every soldier was needed. Aside from protection, conscription was also seen as a unifying force in a diverse society that included immigrants from around the world.”

“All men beginning at age 18 are required to serve 32 months in the military, except for Arab citizens of Israel, who are permitted to volunteer, although most don’t. Ultra-Orthodox men have long flouted the requirement. Women are also required to serve two years, although religious women can do national service rather than military service if they choose.”

“Secular centrist and left-wing opposition lawmakers oppose the plan, arguing that the burden of national service should be shared equally across Israeli society. They propose that ultra-Orthodox men who don’t go into the military be obliged to carry out civilian national service, such as working in hospitals, schools or search-and-rescue teams. Ultra-Orthodox politicians have rejected that proposal, saying any sort of national service would take away from their time studying the Torah.”

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