The Israeli military has enlisted the first batch of about 50 recruits into its new ultra-Orthodox brigade after a controversial decision to end their decades-long exemption from service.
By the end of the day, about 100 additional ultra-Orthodox recruits will be enlisted for reserve service, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday.
“The two companies enlisted today mark the initial step in establishing the ultra-Orthodox brigade, a significant milestone in expanding the service of the ultra-Orthodox sector in the IDF, particularly in light of the operational needs arising from the demands of the war,” a statement from the IDF read.
Israel has turned to enlisting ultra-Orthodox (or Haredi) Jews of draft age after more than a year of war – against Hamas, Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups in the Middle East – has strained its military.
In June, the Supreme Court ruled that ultra-Orthodox Jews could not be exempt from military service, as they had been since the founding of Israel.
But the move has been deeply unpopular with a community on whose support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu relies for his governing coalition.
Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews have protested the draft and some even defied it.
In November, Israel’s military issued 1,126 arrest warrants for conscripts who had not responded to the draft order.
The vast majority of ultra-Orthodox Jews do not participate in the country’s mandatory military service. Many Haredi men spend much of their early lives out of the workforce, instead studying at religious schools known as yeshivas, which they view as fundamental to the preservation of Judaism and as important to Israel’s defense as the military.
But many Israelis believe that all Jewish citizens should serve in the military, especially during wartime.
The Israeli military said Sunday it would enlist more recruits throughout the month to join those already recruited in basic training.
“In preparation for the brigade’s establishment, an extensive preparation process was undertaken, which included identifying and training personnel, adapting policies, renovating the training base, and adjusting it to accommodate the ultra-Orthodox way of life,” the IDF said.