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A gathering crisis over conscripting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israel Defense Forces is threatening to undermine Israel's government and dividing the nation.

Popular sentiment on the issue has undergone a sea change in Israel after two years of war, and this is now arguably the most explosive political risk facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Battle

Legislators are currently considering a piece of legislation to terminate the deferment granted to yeshiva scholars engaged in yeshiva learning, created when the State of Israel was declared in 1948.

The deferment was declared unconstitutional by Israel's High Court of Justice two decades ago. Temporary arrangements to maintain it were finally concluded by the judiciary last year, pressuring the government to commence conscription of the ultra-Orthodox population.

Approximately 24,000 draft notices were issued last year, but just approximately 1,200 Haredi conscripts showed up, according to defense officials presented to lawmakers.

Friction Erupt Into Violence

Friction is spilling onto the city centers, with elected officials now deliberating a new conscription law to compel ultra-Orthodox men into military service alongside other Israeli Jews.

A pair of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were targeted this month by hardline activists, who are incensed with the legislative debate of the bill.

Recently, a special Border Police unit had to rescue Military Police officers who were surrounded by a large crowd of community members as they attempted to detain a alleged conscription dodger.

These enforcement actions have sparked the creation of a new alert system called "Emergency Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through Haredi neighborhoods and mobilize demonstrators to stop detentions from occurring.

"We're a Jewish country," said one protester. "You can't fight against the Jewish faith in a Jewish state. It doesn't work."

A Realm Set Aside

However the shifts sweeping across Israel have failed to penetrate the confines of the religious seminary in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, teenage boys sit in pairs to discuss the Torah, their distinctive notepads standing out against the seats of white shirts and head coverings.

"Visit in the early hours, and you will see half the guys are studying Torah," the head of the seminary, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, noted. "Via dedicated learning, we protect the troops on the front lines. This constitutes our service."

The community holds that continuous prayer and Torah learning defend Israel's armed forces, and are as vital to its security as its advanced weaponry. This conviction was accepted by the nation's leaders in the previous eras, he said, but he admitted that the nation is evolving.

Growing Public Pressure

The Haredi community has grown substantially its share of the nation's citizens over the past seven decades, and now accounts for a sizable minority. What began as an deferment for several hundred yeshiva attendees evolved into, by the beginning of the recent conflict, a cohort of some 60,000 men exempt from the draft.

Polling data show backing for ultra-Orthodox conscription is increasing. A poll in July found that a large majority of non-Haredi Jews - even a significant majority in the Prime Minister's political base - backed sanctions for those who declined a draft order, with a firm majority in favor of cutting state subsidies, the right to travel, or the electoral participation.

"It seems to me there are citizens who reside in this country without giving anything back," one serviceman in Tel Aviv said.

"It is my belief, regardless of piety, [it] should be an excuse not to perform service your nation," stated Gabby. "If you're born here, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to opt out just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Perspectives from the Heart of the Community

Backing for broadening conscription is also found among religious Jews not part of the ultra-Orthodox sector, like one local resident, who lives near the seminary and highlights observant but non-Haredi Jews who do perform national service while also maintaining their faith.

"It makes me angry that this community don't serve in the army," she said. "It's unfair. I too follow the Jewish law, but there's a proverb in Hebrew - 'Safra and Saifa' – it represents the scripture and the defense together. That is the path, until the arrival of peace."

She runs a small memorial in the neighborhood to local soldiers, both observant and non-observant, who were killed in battle. Rows of images {