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A looming crisis over enlisting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military is jeopardizing the administration and fracturing the state.

The public mood on the issue has undergone a sea change in Israel in the wake of two years of conflict, and this is now arguably the most divisive political issue facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Struggle

Politicians are reviewing a proposal to end the exemption given to ultra-Orthodox men dedicated to Torah study, established when the modern Israel was founded in 1948.

The deferment was ruled illegal by Israel's High Court of Justice two decades ago. Temporary arrangements to extend it were officially terminated by the bench last year, pressuring the government to commence conscription of the community.

Approximately 24,000 draft notices were delivered last year, but just approximately 1,200 men from the community showed up, according to defense officials shared with lawmakers.

Tensions Spill Into Violence

Friction is spilling onto the public squares, with parliamentarians now deliberating a new draft bill to require ultra-Orthodox men into national service together with other Jewish citizens.

A pair of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were confronted this month by hardline activists, who are furious with parliament's discussion of the proposed law.

In a recent incident, a specialized force had to assist enforcement personnel who were targeted by a large crowd of ultra-Orthodox protesters as they tried to arrest a alleged conscription dodger.

These enforcement actions have sparked the creation of a new messaging system called "Emergency Alert" to send out instant alerts through the religious sector and call out protesters to stop detentions from happening.

"This is a Jewish state," stated Shmuel Orbach. "It's impossible to battle the Jewish faith in a Jewish state. It doesn't work."

An Environment Set Aside

However the transformations sweeping across Israel have not yet breached the environment of the Torah academy in a Haredi stronghold, an Haredi enclave on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

In the learning space, scholars learn in partnerships to analyze Jewish law, their vividly colored school notebooks popping against the lines of white shirts and traditional skullcaps.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see a significant portion are studying Torah," the leader of the academy, the spiritual guide, noted. "Through religious study, we shield the military personnel wherever they are. This is our army."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that unceasing devotion and Torah learning protect Israel's soldiers, and are as essential to its security as its advanced weaponry. This tenet was accepted by previous governments in the past, he said, but he acknowledged that the nation is evolving.

Growing Societal Anger

The Haredi community has significantly increased its share of the nation's citizens over the past seven decades, and now accounts for around one in seven. An exemption that started as an exemption for several hundred Torah scholars evolved into, by the start of the Gaza war, a body of tens of thousands of men exempt from the conscription.

Polling data indicate approval of ending the exemption is rising. A poll in July showed that an overwhelming percentage of secular and traditional Jews - including a significant majority in his own coalition allies - favored consequences for those who declined a enlistment summons, with a solid consensus in favor of removing privileges, passports, or the franchise.

"It makes me feel there are individuals who are part of this country without contributing," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv commented.

"I don't think, regardless of piety, [it] should be an excuse not to perform service your country," said a young woman. "Being a native, I find it rather absurd that you want to opt out just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Perspectives from Inside Bnei Brak

Support for broadening conscription is also expressed by observant Jews not part of the ultra-Orthodox sector, like one local resident, who lives near the seminary and notes non-Haredi religious Jews who do perform national service while also engaging in religious study.

"I'm very angry that ultra-Orthodox people don't perform military service," she said. "This creates inequality. I too follow the Torah, but there's a proverb in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it signifies the Torah and the weapons together. This is the correct approach, until the arrival of peace."

Ms Barak runs a small memorial in Bnei Brak to local soldiers, both religious and secular, who were killed in battle. Long columns of photographs {