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A gathering political storm over enlisting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army is posing a risk to Israel's government and dividing the nation.

Public opinion on the matter has shifted dramatically in Israel in the wake of two years of conflict, and this is now possibly the most divisive political issue facing the Prime Minister.

The Legal Struggle

Legislators are reviewing a piece of legislation to abolish the exemption given to Haredi students dedicated to full-time religious study, instituted when the modern Israel was founded in 1948.

The deferment was struck down by Israel's High Court of Justice two decades ago. Stopgap solutions to continue it were finally concluded by the judiciary last year, compelling the government to start enlisting the community.

Roughly 24,000 draft notices were issued last year, but just approximately 1,200 men from the community reported for duty, according to army data presented to lawmakers.

Strains Erupt Into Violence

Friction is spilling onto the city centers, with elected officials now discussing a new legislative proposal to compel Haredi males into national service together with other Jewish citizens.

Two Haredi politicians were harassed this month by hardline activists, who are enraged with the Knesset's deliberations of the draft legislation.

And last week, a specialized force had to extract Military Police officers who were surrounded by a big group of community members as they sought to apprehend a alleged conscription dodger.

These arrests have prompted the establishment of a new messaging system called "Dark Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through the religious sector and summon protesters to block enforcement from occurring.

"We're a Jewish country," said an activist. "One cannot oppose Judaism in a Jewish state. It doesn't work."

An Environment Separate

But the changes sweeping across Israel have not yet breached the environment of the Kisse Rahamim yeshiva in an ultra-Orthodox city, an Haredi enclave on the fringes of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, teenage boys study together to discuss Jewish law, their distinctive school notebooks contrasting with the lines of light-colored shirts and traditional skullcaps.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see half the guys are engaged in learning," the leader of the academy, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, explained. "By studying Torah, we protect the troops on the front lines. This constitutes our service."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that constant study and Torah learning protect Israel's military, and are as vital to its military success as its conventional forces. That belief was accepted by Israel's politicians in the past, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he acknowledged that the nation is evolving.

Rising Public Pressure

The Haredi community has significantly increased its proportion of the nation's citizens over the past seven decades, and now represents 14%. What began as an deferment for a small number of religious students turned into, by the start of the Gaza war, a cohort of some 60,000 men exempt from the conscription.

Opinion polls indicate support for drafting the Haredim is rising. A poll in July revealed that 85% of secular and traditional Jews - even almost three-quarters in the Prime Minister's political base - backed penalties for those who refused a draft order, with a firm majority in approving withdrawing benefits, travel documents, or the right to vote.

"I feel there are individuals who reside in this nation without contributing," one military member in Tel Aviv commented.

"It is my belief, regardless of piety, [it] should be an justification not to go and serve your state," said Gabby. "If you're born here, I find it rather absurd that you want to exempt yourself just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Voices from Inside a Religious City

Support for broadening conscription is also coming from traditional Jews beyond the ultra-Orthodox sector, like a Bnei Brak inhabitant, who resides close to the academy and highlights religious Zionists who do serve in the military while also engaging in religious study.

"It makes me angry that the Haredim don't serve in the army," she said. "It's unfair. I also believe in the Torah, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'Safra and Saifa' – it signifies the scripture and the guns together. This is the correct approach, until the days of peace."

The resident manages a small memorial in Bnei Brak to fallen servicemen, both observant and non-observant, who were lost in conflict. Rows of faces {