The Orthodox Exemption For Haredi Jews

The Orthodox Exemption Some Jews say Haredi Jews should be exempt from military service in Israel because they need to focus on their religious studies. Some Jews say Haredi Jews should not be exempt from military service in Israel because Halakha commands that all Jews fight in a milchemet mitzvah. Haredi Jews should be required to serve in the Israeli military because Halakha commands it. In Israel, both men and women are required to serve in the Israeli Defense Force, or the IDF. There are few exemptions for this, one of the most controversial being the exemption of Haredi Jews. Haredi men are exempted from military service provided they continue their religious studies for a certain period of time, at which point their age, makes …show more content…
The exemption was originally granted in 1948, shortly after World War II, to help preserve Jewish culture and learning after the Holocaust. This exemption was originally only applied to 400 extremely promising students. In 2005, it applied to 41,450 people. In 2012, the exemption for Haredi Jews applied to 13.8 percent of all Israeli males. In 2011, 25.1 percent of Israeli males received IDF exemptions. Half of these exemptions went to Haredi Jews. As previously mentioned, there are many Jews who believe that the Haredim, who have a fairly high birthrate, should no longer get this exemption due to their numbers. In 2011, the Haredim accounted for almost ten percent of Israel’s population, with it being fairly normal for a single marriage to produce ten children. Indeed, a 2010 study estimated that 30 percent of Jewish newborns are Haredim, while a government study predicted that the Haredim will represent fifteen percent of Israel’s population by the year 2025. Thus, many Jews feel that because the Haredim make up such a large portion of the population, they should no longer receive this