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An impending political storm over enlisting Haredi men into the military is threatening to undermine Israel's government and dividing the state.

Popular sentiment on the question has undergone a sea change in Israel in the wake of two years of hostilities, and this is now perhaps the most volatile political challenge facing the Prime Minister.

The Constitutional Battle

Lawmakers are now debating a draft bill to abolish the deferment granted to yeshiva scholars enrolled in Torah study, established when the the nation was established in 1948.

The deferment was ruled illegal by the nation's top court almost 20 years ago. Stopgap solutions to extend it were finally concluded by the bench last year, pressuring the administration to begin drafting the community.

Roughly 24,000 call-up papers were issued last year, but merely about 1,200 men from the community reported for duty, according to defense officials presented to lawmakers.

Friction Erupt Into Violence

Friction is spilling onto the streets, with lawmakers now discussing a new conscription law to compel Haredi males into military service in the same way as other Jewish citizens.

Two representatives were targeted this month by radical elements, who are incensed with the legislative debate of the draft legislation.

Recently, a elite police squad had to rescue enforcement personnel who were attacked by a sizeable mob of community members as they attempted to detain a alleged conscription dodger.

These enforcement actions have sparked the creation of a new communication network called "Dark Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through ultra-Orthodox communities and call out protesters to prevent arrests from occurring.

"We're a Jewish country," remarked Shmuel Orbach. "One cannot oppose Judaism in a Jewish country. It is a contradiction."

An Environment Apart

Yet the changes sweeping across Israel have failed to penetrate the confines of the religious seminary in a Haredi stronghold, an Haredi enclave on the fringes of Tel Aviv.

In the learning space, young students study together to debate Jewish law, their distinctive writing books contrasting with the seats of formal attire and head coverings.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see a significant portion are engaged in learning," the dean of the seminary, the spiritual guide, said. "By studying Torah, we protect the soldiers on the front lines. This constitutes our service."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that continuous prayer and Torah learning defend Israel's military, and are as crucial to its military success as its advanced weaponry. This tenet was accepted by the nation's leaders in the previous eras, he said, but he admitted that Israel was changing.

Rising Public Pressure

The ultra-Orthodox population has grown substantially its percentage of the nation's citizens over the since the state's founding, and now accounts for around one in seven. A policy that originated as an deferment for a small number of religious students turned into, by the start of the recent conflict, a cohort of approximately 60,000 men not subject to the draft.

Surveys suggest approval of ultra-Orthodox conscription is increasing. A poll in July showed that 85% of the broader Jewish public - encompassing almost three-quarters in his own coalition allies - supported penalties for those who declined a enlistment summons, with a firm majority in approving removing privileges, passports, or the right to vote.

"It seems to me there are people who live in this country without giving anything back," one military member in Tel Aviv explained.

"I don't think, no matter how devout, [it] should be an reason not to go and serve your country," said Gabby. "As a citizen by birth, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to opt out just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Views from Inside Bnei Brak

Advocacy of ending the exemption is also found among religious Jews beyond the Haredi community, like a Bnei Brak inhabitant, who is a neighbor of the yeshiva and notes religious Zionists who do perform national service while also engaging in religious study.

"I'm very angry that the Haredim don't serve in the army," she said. "It's unfair. I am also committed to the Jewish law, but there's a proverb in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it represents the Torah and the defense together. That's the way forward, until the days of peace."

She maintains a local tribute in the neighborhood to soldiers from the area, both religious and secular, who were fallen in war. Rows of images {