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An impending political storm over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army is jeopardizing Israel's government and dividing the nation.

Popular sentiment on the question has changed profoundly in Israel in the wake of two years of conflict, and this is now arguably the most divisive political risk facing the Prime Minister.

The Legal Conflict

Legislators are now debating a piece of legislation to abolish the deferment granted to ultra-Orthodox men enrolled in Torah study, established when the the nation was established in 1948.

The deferment was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court almost 20 years ago. Interim measures to continue it were finally concluded by the bench last year, forcing the cabinet to commence conscription of the community.

Roughly 24,000 call-up papers were issued last year, but merely about 1,200 men from the community showed up, according to military testimony presented to lawmakers.

Tensions Spill Into Public View

Friction is spilling onto the streets, with elected officials now debating a new draft bill to compel yeshiva students into national service alongside other secular Israelis.

Two representatives were targeted this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are enraged with the legislative debate of the bill.

Recently, a specialized force had to rescue army police who were surrounded by a sizeable mob of ultra-Orthodox protesters as they tried to arrest a suspected draft-evader.

Such incidents have prompted the establishment of a new messaging system dubbed "Emergency Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through Haredi neighborhoods and call out protesters to block enforcement from occurring.

"We're a Jewish country," stated an activist. "It's impossible to battle religious practice in a Jewish state. It doesn't work."

An Environment Set Aside

Yet the changes affecting Israel have failed to penetrate the walls of the Torah academy in Bnei Brak, an Haredi enclave on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, teenage boys study together to analyze the Torah, their distinctive notepads contrasting with the lines of formal attire and traditional skullcaps.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see many of the students are pursuing religious study," the head of the yeshiva, the spiritual guide, explained. "Through religious study, we safeguard the military personnel on the front lines. This is how we contribute."

The community holds that unceasing devotion and spiritual pursuit guard Israel's armed forces, and are as crucial to its military success as its conventional forces. This tenet was endorsed by previous governments in the past, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he admitted that public attitudes are shifting.

Rising Public Pressure

This religious sector has grown substantially its share of Israel's population over the last seventy years, and now represents around one in seven. A policy that originated as an exemption for several hundred religious students became, by the onset of the recent conflict, a cohort of some 60,000 men not subject to the conscription.

Polling data suggest approval of ending the exemption is increasing. Research in July revealed that a large majority of secular and traditional Jews - including a large segment in Netanyahu's own right-wing Likud party - favored consequences for those who refused a enlistment summons, with a clear majority in favor of withdrawing benefits, passports, or the electoral participation.

"It makes me feel there are people who live in this country without giving anything back," one military member in Tel Aviv said.

"I don't think, however religious you are, [it] should be an reason not to perform service your country," added a young woman. "As a citizen by birth, I find it rather absurd that you want to exempt yourself just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Perspectives from Inside a Religious City

Backing for ending the exemption is also coming from observant Jews outside the ultra-Orthodox sector, like one local resident, who is a neighbor of the academy and notes observant but non-Haredi Jews who do enlist in the army while also studying Torah.

"It makes me angry that ultra-Orthodox people don't serve in the army," she said. "This creates inequality. I also believe in the Jewish law, but there's a saying in Jewish tradition - 'Safra and Saifa' – it represents the Torah and the weapons together. That's the way forward, until the messianic era."

She runs a modest remembrance site in Bnei Brak to local soldiers, both from all backgrounds, who were killed in battle. Long columns of images {