Israel's top court has recently struck down "...a law designed to encourage ultra-Orthodox Jews to join the military and the workforce, saying it had backfired by "entrenching" their blanket draft exemptions and protracted seminary studies." Sheesh.....70K of long term professional students (all male...no females in Yeshivas) represents approximately 14 Brigades worth of infantry, (assuming all were medically and psychologically fit) No longer will Yeshivas be a draft dodger's paradise...Ultra orthodox jews comprising some 10% of the population of Israel will now have to shoulder their fair share of the burden of defending their state, that has been carried by the non Haredim but otherwise observant Jewish and secular Jewish populations for decades. So, Schlomo....start swapping your Kapotes, and Spodniks, for army uniforms and grab a gun....your country needs you! (pretend you're a maccabee if it will make you feel better about it). They (Maccabees) were some tough dudes, and they weren't above swinging a sword for Judah, in between reading the Torah!! Israel top court scraps pious Jews' draft exemption - Yahoo! News Edit: to put the numbers into some kind of perspective....it would be as if, in time of dire peril, 8.3million Americans would seek exemption from military service because studying (insert sacred texts here) was more important than defending their country. That would be the equivalent of approximately 461 infantry divisions (assuming 18,000 soldiers per division) worth of yeshiva, madrassa or bible college students making themselves unavailable for military service, should the draft be reinstated in time of national emergency. Israel is but a small country with a small population, 70,000 yeshiva students represents approx .92% of Israel's total population. It is a pool of manpower that can ill afford to be left, rocking back and forth in the comparative safety of the yeshivas.
It seems that the Ultra-orthodox yeshiva draft dodgers are coming closer and closer to shouldering their secular responsibilities for defending the State that they benefit from. Netenyahu has stitched up an alliance with the Kadima party to form a unity coalition. This means that Netenyahu's Likud led coalition will no longer be beholden to the minor (but disproportionately influential) religious parties for legislative support. Israel's "TAl" legislation is likely to be ammended to reduce the degree to which exemptions from military service will be granted. There are a number of non combatant duties that could be performed by Ultra Orthodox mensch...such as medics, UXO clearance, helping to evict illegal settlers.... BBC News - Israeli PM Netanyahu strikes surprise coalition deal
