Charedi Draft Bill Submitted, Includes Exemptions for Yeshivah Students, Penalties Dropped for Current Non-Compliance

A new draft of the government’s conscription bill, authored by Likud MK Boaz Bismuth, was released to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Thursday afternoon. The legislation aims to “regulate the status of full-time yeshiva students while recognizing the importance of Torah study,” proposing a framework that balances yearly deferments for yeshiva students with periodic recruitment quota increases from the Charedi public.

The bill stipulates that full-time yeshiva students who do not engage in any other vocation may be granted yearly deferments from enlistment. Notably, provisions found in previous versions regarding strict oversight of yeshiva attendance, such as the implementation of fingerprint scanners, have been removed from this updated draft.

For the purposes of the law, the definition of Charedi recruits is based on educational background. The bill defines them as individuals who studied at a Charedi educational institution for at least two years between the ages of 14 and 18.

The legislation outlines specific annual minimal thresholds for recruitment. These targets are to be filled by graduates of Charedi educational institutions entering either military service or civilian security service, though the latter cannot account for more than 10% of the quota.

The proposed recruitment thresholds are as follows:

First Year: 8,160 conscripts
Second Year: 6,840 conscripts
Third Year: 7,920 conscripts
Fourth Year: 8,500 conscripts
Fifth Year: “No less than 50 percent of the annual enlistment cohort from graduates of Charedi educational institutions.”
Following the fifth year, the Defense Minister, with committee approval, will set a threshold no lower than that of the fifth year.

A critical component of the bill regarding the nature of service involves the integration of non-military options. While students receiving deferments may request to perform civilian security service upon reaching the age of 20, 90% of the Charedi quota will be compromised of soldiers.

The bill ties compliance to financial and individual sanctions. Failure to meet recruitment targets will result in the withdrawal of funding for yeshiva students enjoying deferrals.

On an individual level, yeshiva students who have not received an exemption and fail to report for service face significant civil restrictions until the age of 23. These include:
Ineligibility for a driver’s license.
A ban on traveling abroad.
Ineligibility for academic scholarships.
Denial of subsidized public housing, tax credits, national insurance discounts, and daycare or transit subsidies.

Exceptions committees may override specific travel or licensing bans. Importantly, these sanctions expire once a student reaches the age of exemption, which is set at 26.

To facilitate integration, the bill mandates that the IDF “enable the preservation” of the Charedi lifestyle. The military is required to “establish service tracks that are tailored to the lifestyles of graduates of Charedi educational institutions,” and the Defense Ministry will work to establish Charedi pre-military preparatory academies.

While there have been reports of Charedi politicians and senior leaders of the Litvishe world reviewing and potentially supporting the advancement of the bill, there remains no official confirmation of their endorsement.

Rabbi Yitzchak Goldknopf,  chairman of the United Torah Judaism party and its Augudas Yisrael faction, says that his party’s Moetzes Gedolei Torah will examine the bill before deciding on whether or not to support it.

“The position of the Moetzes, as conveyed to us, is that we must advance a framework that will preserve the world of Torah, without any sanctions against Torah students,” he says.

“The draft proposal presented this evening will be brought before our revered Gedolim shlita, for their decision, and we will act solely according to their guidance.”

Religious Zionism’s Bezalel Smotrich said his party is reviewing the bill, but “Our principle has been and remains: We will only vote for a law that will lead to real and rapid recruitment of Charedim into the IDF to meet security needs and ease the burden on fighters, reservists, and their families.”

Criticism from PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s political foes was swift. The bill “spits in the faces of those who serve, while improving the situation of those who evade service,” Blue and White chair Benny Ganz said. “The absurdity in which there is an overwhelming majority in the public and in the Knesset for a service framework, and yet, for a few more months in power, Likud is selling out Israel’s security — must end.”

In a video message, MK Bismuth defended the legislation against critics, stating: “We’re on our way, we’ve submitted the conscription bill, and with G-d’s help we will do and succeed. A balanced law, a good law, a law that is good for the army. A good law for yeshiva students, a law that is good for the people of Israel, that is good for the state itself.”

He emphasized the broader stability the bill aims to achieve: “And I have to tell you one thing: and let’s be precise: it’s not here to stabilize a coalition, it’s here to stabilize the state.”
Bismuth further commented in a separate statement, “This is it, we’re moving forward with a balanced and responsible conscription law that serves the people of Israel.”

If the IDF fails to meet 95% of its recruitment targets for three consecutive years, a committee will be established to recommend implementation improvements or legislative amendments.