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A gathering political storm over conscripting Haredi men into the military is jeopardizing Israel's government and dividing the state.

The public mood on the question has changed profoundly in Israel after two years of conflict, and this is now possibly the most volatile political issue facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Conflict

Legislators are reviewing a draft bill to abolish the exemption given to yeshiva scholars enrolled in full-time religious study, established when the the nation was founded in 1948.

This arrangement was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court two decades ago. Interim measures to maintain it were formally ended by the bench last year, compelling the government to begin drafting the Haredi sector.

Approximately 24,000 draft notices were issued last year, but only around 1,200 ultra-Orthodox - or Haredi - draftees enlisted, according to army data shared with lawmakers.

Tensions Boil Over Into Violence

Strains are boiling over onto the streets, with lawmakers now discussing a new draft bill to force ultra-Orthodox men into national service alongside other Israeli Jews.

Two representatives were targeted this month by radical elements, who are enraged with the legislative debate of the proposed law.

Recently, a elite police squad had to assist enforcement personnel who were attacked by a big group of community members as they sought to apprehend a man avoiding service.

Such incidents have led to the development of a new messaging system called "Emergency Alert" to spread word quickly through ultra-Orthodox communities and call out demonstrators to prevent arrests from taking place.

"Israel is a Jewish nation," said an activist. "It's impossible to battle religious practice in a Jewish state. It is a contradiction."

A World Separate

Yet the shifts affecting Israel have failed to penetrate the confines of the religious seminary in Bnei Brak, an Haredi enclave on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, teenage boys learn in partnerships to discuss Jewish law, their distinctive notepads popping against the lines of white shirts and traditional skullcaps.

"Visit in the early hours, and you will see a significant portion are pursuing religious study," the head of the academy, the spiritual guide, said. "Via dedicated learning, we shield the soldiers wherever they are. This is our army."

Haredi Jews maintain that unceasing devotion and religious study guard Israel's armed forces, and are as vital to its military success as its conventional forces. That belief was acknowledged by Israel's politicians in the past, he said, but he admitted that the nation is evolving.

Growing Popular Demand

This religious sector has more than doubled its percentage of the country's people over the past seven decades, and now accounts for a sizable minority. A policy that originated as an exemption for several hundred religious students became, by the onset of the recent conflict, a cohort of tens of thousands of men exempt from the national service.

Polling data suggest support for drafting the Haredim is growing. Research in July showed that an overwhelming percentage of the broader Jewish public - including a significant majority in the Prime Minister's political base - favored consequences for those who refused a enlistment summons, with a firm majority in favor of withdrawing benefits, passports, or the electoral participation.

"It seems to me there are people who are part of this country without contributing," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv said.

"It is my belief, regardless of piety, [it] should be an justification not to fulfill your duty to your state," added Gabby. "Being a native, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to opt out just to engage in religious study all day."

Voices from the Heart of a Religious City

Backing for broadening conscription is also found among observant Jews not part of the Haredi community, like Dorit Barak, who resides close to the academy and points to non-Haredi religious Jews who do enlist in the army while also maintaining their faith.

"I'm very angry that this community don't serve in the army," she said. "It is unjust. I also believe in the Torah, but there's a saying in Jewish tradition - 'The Book and the Sword' – it means the Torah and the defense together. That is the path, until the arrival of peace."

The resident maintains a small memorial in Bnei Brak to local soldiers, both religious and secular, who were killed in battle. Lines of faces {