From Ben-Gurion to Netanyahu: The Historic Letter Behind Israel’s Political Deal with Ultra-Orthodox Jews
Amid Israel’s most severe social crisis, a newly revealed archival letter sheds light on the political deal that shaped the status of Torah study exemptions for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students. This week, the Knesset approved the Basic Law: Torah Study in a first reading with 63 votes in favor and 53 against, a move reflecting a complex political maneuver by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. To secure the critical 61-seat majority needed to withstand potential Supreme Court challenges, Netanyahu demanded personal commitments from ultra-Orthodox parties. He even left the Maccabiah opening ceremony to cast his vote, underscoring the law’s importance. This vote capped a strategic alliance whereby Netanyahu gained ultra-Orthodox support for sensitive legislative initiatives, including investigations into the October 7 events, splitting the Attorney General role, and election timing agreements.
The article traces the origins of the Torah study exemption back 68 years to Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion. Initially granted to 400 yeshiva students as a political concession to stabilize his coalition with the United Religious Front, the exemption was not a purely ideological or religious gesture but a calculated political trade-off. Ben-Gurion later regretted the precedent it set, fearing it undermined equality in military service. He threatened to revoke the exemption and ordered Defense Ministry head Shimon Peres to prepare for drafting all yeshiva students. This alarmed ultra-Orthodox leaders, who turned to the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac Herzog, to intervene.
Rabbi Herzog, respected for his blend of Torah scholarship and statesmanship, acted as mediator between the ultra-Orthodox community and Ben-Gurion. His eloquent and impassioned letter warned against dismantling the exemption, emphasizing the moral imperative to preserve Torah study after the Holocaust’s devastation. Herzog’s intervention halted Ben-Gurion’s plans, transforming the exemption into a lasting arrangement that continues to influence Israeli society and politics.
The historic correspondence between Herzog and Ben-Gurion reveals deep ideological divides but also pragmatic attempts to balance religious tradition with state needs. Ben-Gurion argued for universal military service, questioning the fairness of exemptions, while Herzog framed Torah study as essential to the Jewish people’s survival.
Today, nearly seven decades later, the debate over the status of Torah study and military conscription remains central to Israeli politics. The current President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, grandson of the first Chief Rabbi, faces this ongoing challenge amid renewed tensions. The article concludes with a call for leadership that can uphold the legacy of Torah study while navigating Israel’s complex political landscape.
