The IDF announced on Tuesday night that 338 Haredim, out of the 10,000 who were sent summons since July 2024, had joined its new special tracks tailored to their religious and cultural needs.
While the fact that some real numbers are joining the new special programs, the under 3% rate of compliance with the summons for the 7,000 summons sent out more recently is even lower than the original, closer to 10% compliance rate for the 3,000 summons sent out over the summer.
The IDF’s goal is to increase the number of Haredim joining the IDF by around 3,000 this year, bringing the total number to around 4,800 per year.
Even this goal would have left an estimated 60,000 and 80,000 Haredim undrafted from this year and recent years, but it would have constituted a major jump in recruitment.
According to the IDF, the latest announcement came as the process ended regarding the 10,000 summonses, which were sent out on a rolling basis,s, first in the summer and then in the fall.
Reasons for failures
The IDF has given several reasons for the new programs’ massive failures to date, but the largest ones are that the Haredi community is pressuring young adolescents not to join. The government is still considering a new law that would either anchor the status quo exemption for Haredim from IDF service or delay any real sanctions against the community from going into effect for seven years.
Although the High Court of Justice in April 2024 nixed aspects of haredi yeshiva funds due to non-compliance with the draft, and there is a threat to nix subsidies for childcare from non-compliant families in late February, the government has moved forward with funneling huge sums of money to the haredi communities in other ways which may be indirectly used to fill any shortfalls caused by the High Court decisions.
Further, the IDF has made it clear that it is not going to arrest Haredim for refusing their draft on a large scale and that enforcement has been very limited. Rather, the IDF regards enforcement as a broader social issue that the government must handle.
In terms of the 338 new haredi draftees, 211 are in combat units, while 127 are in units to support combat units.
These new recruits are part of the new Hasmonean Brigade, the new upkeep units in the North, and a second round of haredi border guard units.
More specifically, 70 draftees have joined the Netzach Yehuda battalion of the Kfir Brigade, 19 have joined the Tomer Company in the Givati Brigade, 19 have joined the Hetz Company of the Paratroopers Brigade, 11 have joined the Negev Company in the air force, as well as other units.
The IDF said it expected other haredim to join over the course of January, though it was far from clear whether such numbers would be significant.
