IDF Doubles Ultra-Orthodox Enlistment in Three Years Amid Sanctions and Arrests Debate

The number of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) recruits in the Israel Defense Forces has more than doubled over the past three years, reaching over 3,500 for the 2025 enlistment year (July 2025 to June 2026). This increase follows years of stagnation, with enlistment figures around 1,700 to 1,800 annually until 2022. In 2023, the number rose to 2,200, and last year it reached 2,800, marking a 20% rise compared to the previous year.

Brigadier General Shay Tayeb, head of the IDF Planning and Human Resources Division, attributed this growth to sanctions imposed on yeshiva students and the fear of arrests, which have prompted many young Haredim to regularize their status. Tayeb noted that about 72,000 young Haredim are currently classified as draft dodgers or are in the process of being classified. Of those who come forward to regularize their status, 50% enlist, 18% are in placement procedures, and 30% pursue medical or psychological exemptions. Among those arrested by police or border authorities, 40% initiate medical or psychological exemption processes.

The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee has begun preparing legislation to exempt yeshiva students from arrests for three months, a move seen as part of a broader political deal with ultra-Orthodox parties. However, Tayeb warned that this exemption law could undermine recruitment efforts and have serious negative consequences. The bill is linked with a Basic Law on Torah Study and is part of coalition agreements including the Attorney General's office split law.

Amos Tziada, director of the Department for Religious Institutions at the Ministry of Education, reported that the number of students losing funding due to draft evasion has risen to 93,000. Legal advisor Miri Frenkel-Shur described the exemption bill as a "mini recruitment law" aiming to regulate the status of yeshiva students both immediately and long-term, effectively bypassing comprehensive legislative arrangements for their status.