Israel needs a Haredi draft compromise that protects Torah study and security – opinion

Israel faces a persistent national debate regarding military service for the Haredi community, particularly after the October 7 Hamas attack highlighted military manpower shortages. The core of the issue, according to Eli Paley, publisher of Mishpacha and founder of The Institute for Strategy and Haredi Policy, is the state's failure to understand the Haredi community's foundational value: full-time Torah study. This intensive study in yeshivas, especially between ages 14 and 22, is seen not as an academic pursuit but as "the spiritual pulse of Jewish continuity, the moral anchor of the community, and an irreplaceable value."

Resistance to military service stems not from a fear of danger, but from a deep-seated resistance to externally imposed cultural assimilation, social engineering, and the dismantling of educational and cultural autonomy.

The article highlights that Haredi society demonstrates high rates of volunteerism and social innovation, with individuals volunteering at twice the OECD average and pioneering organizations like Yad Sarah and United Hatzalah. The author argues that a durable compromise must protect Torah study while expanding national contributions, rather than relying on legal confrontation or economic pressure, to achieve both national security and societal cohesion.