Haredi Hesder Yeshiva Leaders Propose One-Year Halt to Arrests and Wider Draft Options

Leaders of Haredi hesder yeshivas sent a letter on Wednesday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth, proposing a new framework to address the enlistment crisis. Their plan calls for a one-year temporary law to halt arrests of yeshiva students and Haredi draft evaders, alongside steps to significantly increase enlistment among young Haredi men who are not studying full-time.

The rabbis said their approach differs from other proposals because it does not only suspend sanctions, but also includes an operational commitment to raise the number of servicemen. They argued that combining the two elements could win broad political support and also withstand legal scrutiny. According to the letter, the current wave of arrests is damaging trust with the Haredi public and pushing more young men away from service tracks.

During the temporary year, they proposed four main goals: tripling the number of students in Haredi hesder yeshivas with government budget support, expanding service tracks in the IDF and in security and rescue bodies, creating fast-track service and reserve paths for graduates who did not previously enlist, and launching a public outreach campaign to encourage service in frameworks adapted to the Haredi way of life.

The letter said efforts over the past decade to regulate the issue have failed because the courts, politicians and the IDF could not create the conditions and trust needed with the Haredi public. The signatories, who run the combined study-service frameworks and the Hashmonaim brigade, said any solution must recognize the value of Torah study while also creating practical service routes for those who are not Torah scholars, with the aim of reaching a permanent agreement peacefully.