Beit El (VINnews) — A senior ultra-Orthodox Israeli lawmaker said Wednesday that draft evasion is more common in the Tel Aviv area than among the haredi community, as debate intensifies over compulsory military service for religious students.
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Yitzhak Goldknopf, head of the ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism, made the remarks during a meeting at the Knesset with 12th-grade students from Ulpanat Ra’aya, a religious Zionist girls’ high school in Beit El.
According to Arutz 7, which reported on the meeting, the students challenged Goldknopf on why most haredi yeshiva students do not enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, while many religious Zionist families combine Torah study with military service.
חזקי ברוך, ערוץ 7: יו"ר יהדות התורה, ח"כ יצחק גולדקנופף על חוק הגיוס לתלמידות אולפנת רעיה בבית אל, "כמה בציבור החילוני לא מתגייסים אתן יודעות? ראש אכ"א אמר יש משתמטים בגוש דן יותר מאשר כל הציבור החרדי"
🔅זירה פוליטית‼️ pic.twitter.com/F5Yj3o8GLA— 🔅 זירה פוליטית‼ (@Zira_politit) December 31, 2025
Goldknopf responded by arguing that draft avoidance is not limited to the ultra-Orthodox community. He cited comments he attributed to the head of the military’s Personnel Directorate, saying there are more draft-dodgers in the Tel Aviv area than in the entire haredi population. He also noted that a relative of his is currently serving in Gaza.
The lawmaker emphasized the central role of Torah study in Jewish history and identity, saying his party represents those whose full-time occupation is religious learning. He cited former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak as having said that those whose vocation is Torah study should not be compelled to abandon it.
At the same time, Goldknopf said enforcement measures should apply to anyone who neither studies Torah nor serves in the military. “Whoever does not learn and does not enlist — enforce the law against him,” he said, according to Arutz 7.
Military service for haredi men remains one of Israel’s most contentious political and social issues, particularly during the ongoing war, with growing public pressure on the government to pass new draft legislation and reduce long-standing exemptions.
Goldknopf also denied past remarks attributed to him that were critical of religious Zionists, calling those reports false and saying they caused distress to bereaved families.
87% of “secular ” Israelis serve their country. 6% haredi serve. His remarks will further inflame the debate and give joy to our enemies. Out of the ashes the “seculars” created the State. That’s the miracle. The “seculars” get it. The crisis is in the haredi kehillah.