Torato Umanuto exemption arrangement in 1991. It has since gained widespread popularity among the
Religious Zionist and the
Haredi community. During the
1948 Arab–Israeli War, Israeli prime minister
David Ben-Gurion reached a special arrangement with Haredi representative
Yitzhak-Meir Levin, who led the Haredi party
Agudat Yisrael in Israel. The arrangement was based on the Jewish principle of
Torato Umanuto, so that those in the Haredi community eligible for conscription would be exempt from service in the
Israel Defense Forces as long as
Torah study is their sole profession, which for many is a religious commandment that is devoted a majority of the day. For the Haredi community, there is a belief where the practice of studying or reciting the
Torah, when undertaken by great Torah scholars or their disciples, is crucial in defending the
Israeli people from threats, similar to an additional "praying division" of the military. For the Israeli state, this was an effort to maintain the
secular–religious status quo in Israel to sustain internal unity, given that there is already
high tensions with the region's Arabs. This arrangement based on the principle of
Torato Umanuto effectively became a regulation under the jurisdiction of the
Ministry of Defense. Following the
Six Day war, defense minister
Moshe Dayan headed a committee to examine the issue of Haredi conscription based on a request from chief of staff
Haim Bar-Lev, but decided on keeping the existing arrangement with 800 exemptions for the Haredim per year. In 1970, a petition was filed with the
Supreme Court of Israel regarding the exemptions, with the court upholding the existing arrangement of exemptions. In 1977, after the
legislative election that year introduced
the nation's first right-wing government, the quotas on Haredi exemptions were lifted completely following an agreement between
Likud and
Agudat Yisrael. In 1986, a petition to the
Supreme Court was again filed on Haredi exemptions, with the court again upholding the arrangement. However, the court also determined that the petitioner had a right of
standing, and that the number of exemptions is an important factor on this matter. Also in 1986, the
Knesset formed the Cohen Committee to examine Haredi exemption policy, and decided on an arrangement with more limitations on exemption. The recommendation was for the exemption arrangement to only apply to select schools, and that only 200 outstanding yeshiva students per year would receive full exemption, with the others conscripted for a shortened service of about a year. In 1999, in accordance with the judicial ruling, Prime Minister
Ehud Barak set up a public committee, which was headed by Justice Zvi Tal and therefore known as the
Tal Committee. In April 2000, the committee reported its recommendations, which were approved by the
Knesset in July 2002. This law became known as the "Tal Law", and provided for a continuation of the existing arrangement based on the principle of
Torato Umanuto, but laid down several specific conditions into the law, in the hopes that exemptions would decrease over time. Under the arrangement, any student who wish to be exempted from conscription must be dedicated to
Torah study for 45 hours in a
yeshiva or 40 hours in a
kollel, with confirmation signatures from the
rosh yeshiva and the secretary of the Yeshiva Committee. By the age of 26, those who participate are granted full exemption from military service. Following the
2003 elections, the Haredi parties lost their place in the government to the secular anti-religious
Shinui party. In 2005, Shinui left the government and
Ariel Sharon brought the Haredi
United Torah Judaism party into his ruling coalition. Shinui advocates stopping extra funding to mostly Haredi schools and resistance to
Tal Law, which gives legal status exemptions from Haredi conscription. Nevertheless, in recent years as many as 1,000 Haredi Jews have chosen to volunteer to serve in the
IDF, in a Haredi Jewish unit, the
Netzah Yehuda Battalion, also known as Nahal Haredi. The vast majority of Haredi men, however, continue to receive deferments from military service. In 2005, Justice Minister
Tzipi Livni stated that the Tal Law, which by then had yet to be fully implemented, did not provide an adequate solution to Haredi conscription. At the time, only 1,115 of the 41,450 yeshiva students covered by the arrangement had taken the "decision year" provided by the law, and of these only 31 had later enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces. In 2007, the Tal Law was extended until August 2012. In January 2012, Defense Minister
Ehud Barak said his ministry was preparing an alternative to the Tal Law. Dozens of IDF reserve soldiers had put up what they called "the suckers' camp" near the
Tel Aviv Savidor Central railway station, to protest the possible extension of the Tal Law. Several politicians, public figures, disabled IDF veterans and high school and university students visited the protest encampment.
Conscription amendments In February 2012, the
Supreme Court ruled that the Tal Law in its current form was
unconstitutional and could not be extended beyond August. After the law expired,
military conscription into the
IDF became mandatory for all members of the Haredi community, with a penalty of imprisonment for up to five years for those who refuse to enlist. In response, prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said that the government would formulate a new bill that would guarantee a more equal sharing of the burden by all parts of Israeli society. The issue also caused division within the
2nd Netanyahu government and almost led to a government collapse leading into the
2013 legislative election. Following unsuccessful attempts to draft a new law, including the
Plesner Committee, a new committee was formed to decide on a new Haredi conscription policy. This committee was called the Special Committee for the Equal Sharing of the Burden Bill, and informally known as the "Shaked Committee" after its chairwoman MK
Ayelet Shaked of
Bayit Yehudi. In March 2014, the committee proposed a bill for increasing enlistment among those eligible in the Haredi community, leading to widespread protests. On 12 March 2014, the bill passed the
Knesset as an amendment to the
Israeli Defense Service Law. Under the new law, the government would establish annual enlistment targets for the Haredim that increases gradually until 2017. If the targets are met by 2017, then enlistment will remain voluntary. But if they are not met, then conscription will begin for most Haredi students, with the only exemptions being for a total of 1,800 standout students, who would be allowed to continue their yeshiva studies. This decision led to massive protests among the Haredim against conscription. On 12 September 2017, the
Supreme court struck down both the 2014 and 2015 amendments, ruling that blanket military service exemptions for Haredi students were illegal and discriminatory. The court decided to terminate the amendments in a year to allow time for the Knesset to pass new legislation. In February 2018, defense minister
Avigdor Lieberman led a committee to draft a new conscription bill after the previous attempt was struck down. The bill passed first reading in July, but could not continue after
Yesh Atid withdrew support for it. The coalition reached a deadlock over the issue, with the Knesset dissolving itself and leading to early elections. This would ultimately lead to the
2018–2022 Israeli political crisis, with Haredi conscription remaining a cause for political deadlock. On 20 January 2019, due to
continued political crisis, the Supreme Court decided to extend the deadline for passing a conscription bill until 28 July 2019. On 29 May 2019, coalition talks failed and the Knesset dissolved itself, leading to
a new election. In January 2022, the Knesset under the
36th government voted on the first reading of a new draft law, but it did not pass due to opposition from MK
Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi of
Meretz. On 12 July 2022, the Supreme Court again gave an extension for passing a conscription bill due to ongoing political instability, with the deadline now set for July 2023. On 25 June 2023, as the court extensions for passing a conscription bill was set to expire, the
cabinet passed a resolution that extended conscription exemptions for the Haredim by 10 months until April 2024. By July, a petition was filed to the Supreme Court for conscripting Haredi students, with the court ruling to wait and provide some time for a government response.
Enforcement since 2024 On 26 February 2024, the Supreme Court issued an interim order requiring a government explanation for the non-enlistment of yeshiva students by 31 March. In March 2024, a draft was prepared for legislating Haredi conscription. This draft allowed continued exemption for those engaged in
Torah study, but everyone else would be required to serve in either the
IDF or in non-military roles such as in
United Hatzalah or the
Israel Police. For the first time, a Haredi conscription draft was recognized by the Haredi rabbis. However, chief rabbi
Yitzhak Yosef remained opposed to this conscription draft. Also in March 2024, Attorney General
Gali Baharav-Miara instructed both the Education Ministry and the Defense Ministry to begin the drafting process for Haredi men. In response, the coalition government clarified that it had not agreed to an extension of the exemption, which had thus expired. On May 15, 2024, prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu revived a conscription bill from the
previous government and presented it to committee in the Knesset. On 10 June 2024, the bill passed first reading in the Knesset with 63 to 57 and was transferred to the
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. On 2 June 2024, the Supreme Court reconvened with an expanded nine-judge panel, to hear a case on Haredi conscription. In July 2024, the army began drafting 3,000 Haredi men, but less than 10% showed up at recruitment centers. In November, 7,000 additional draft orders for Haredi men were approved, and military officials also issued 1,126 arrest warrants for Haredi conscripts who
did not respond to drafting orders. On January 14, 2025, defense minister
Israel Katz presented a policy outline regarding Haredi conscription into the IDF, which includes annual conscription targets that gradually increases to 50% by 2032. Failures to meet these targets would result in financial sanctions on educational institutions such as
yeshivas. The plan preserves exemption for elite students in
Torah study. On 4 August 2025, outgoing
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chair
Yuli Edelstein publicized his proposed version of the Haredi conscription bill, which included full conscription for anyone not engaged in full time
Torah study, along with implementing various penalties for draft evaders, including cancellation of drivers licenses and banning of international travel. On 27 November 2025, the new
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman
Boaz Bismuth laid out a revised bill on Haredi conscription, which would conscript 50% of Haredi men who are not engaged in full time
Torah study. This plan would allow for the conscription of an estimated 23,000 Haredim, out of a total of 80,000 Haredim currently eligible but exempt from military service. == Protests ==