Israel’s Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice, on Sunday began a hearing on the controversial issue of conscription for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men.
An expanded panel of nine judges led by acting Supreme Court president Uzi Vogelman heard arguments regarding the recruitment of yeshiva students into the Israel Defense Forces and the financing of Torah institutions.
The petitioners argued that the state must start recruiting yeshiva students because the law exempting them from mandatory service expired last year. The government representative requested that the court reject the petitions and instead allow the Knesset to continue the legislative process toward a solution.
The government opposes the recruitment of 3,000 yeshiva students this year, the number that the Israeli Defense Ministry says it is capable of recruiting.
The government’s lawyer Doron Taubman replied in the negative when asked if the government would recruit that number.
“I was very disappointed with your answer about the number 3,000,” said Judge Noam Sohlberg, according to Ynet.
There are 63,000 Haredi men eligible for the draft.
Shmuel Horowitz, the attorney representing the Union of Yeshivas in the Land of Israel, argued that ordering the IDF to draft Haredi men against their will would be a violation of their right to freedom of religion.
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox disapprove of army service, considering it a distraction from Torah study and a threat to their way of life. However, Oct. 7 has heightened the demands of the general public that the ultra-Orthodox contribute their share to the defense of the nation.
Watch the hearing live:
