Full Breakdown
Haredi Parties Push Basic Law to Recognize Torah Study as State Service
6/10/2026, 12:54:07 AM
Core Event: Legislative Push to Enshrine Torah Study
Lawmakers from the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) parties have advanced a bill that would incorporate long-term Torah study into Israel’s Basic Law. The proposal defines sustained Torah study as “meaningful service for the state,” thereby granting draft-exempt haredi men rights and benefits comparable to those of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers. The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved the measure on Tuesday, clearing it for a preliminary Knesset reading.
Background & Context: Manpower Shortage and Ongoing Conflict
Israel’s armed forces have warned of an urgent manpower shortage after more than two years of war, including operations in Lebanon and heightened tensions with Iran. In March, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir cautioned that the army could collapse without a solution to the shortage. Previous High Court of Justice rulings that limited draft-exemption arrangements for haredi students have been cited as a legal backdrop for the new bill.
Key Figures & Groups
- Aryeh Deri, Shas party leader, spearheads the legislative drive.
- Yitzhak Goldknopf, UTJ leader, visited imprisoned draft evaders.
- Moshe Gafni, Degel HaTorah (UTJ) chairman, demanded an expedited ministerial meeting.
- Bezalel Smotrich, Finance Minister and Religious Zionist Party leader, opposes equality wording.
- Naftali Bennett, former prime minister, leads opposition from the Yamina bloc.
- Gadi Eisenkot, Yesh Atid leader, and Yair Golan, Labor party figure, voiced criticism.
- Dan Illouz, Likud MK, and Avigdor Liberman, Yisrael Beiteinu leader, also opposed the bill.
Data & Statistics
- IDF warnings of a “potential collapse” due to manpower deficits.
- The war has persisted for “more than two years,” intensifying recruitment pressures.
- No quantitative figures on the number of draft-exempt haredi men are provided in the sources.
Why It Matters: Impact on Conscription and Election Timing
If enacted, the Basic Law: Torah Study would formalize draft exemption, affecting the composition of the IDF and the allocation of state benefits. The legislation is linked to a political bargain: in exchange for advancing the bill, the coalition seeks to move the national election date to 20 October, rather than the haredi-preferred September schedule, aiming to boost turnout among ultra-Orthodox voters.
Official Statements & Responses
Shas leader Aryeh Deri urged that the bill be voted on “as early as this week” and framed its passage as a condition for coalition support on other legislation. UTJ’s Moshe Gafni criticized the cancellation of a ministerial meeting and called for an immediate Knesset vote. The Religious Zionist Party, led by Finance Minister Smotrich, announced it would not back any version that equates the rights of soldiers with those of draft-evading haredi men. The Ministerial Committee’s approval signals governmental endorsement pending Knesset debate.
Criticism & Opposition
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett labeled the proposal “an exemption law on steroids” and a “desecration of the Torah.” Yesh Atid’s Gadi Eisenkot condemned the timing, noting citizens sheltering while soldiers fight. Likud MK Yuli Edelstein warned that “there is no line that the heads of the ultra-Orthodox factions will not cross.” Dan Illouz (Likud) called the bill a “Basic Law: Desecration of the Torah,” and Yair Golan described Deri’s support for draft evaders as “not Judaism, not Zionism.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Early drafts of the bill contained language granting “equality of rights” between soldiers and Torah scholars; this wording was later removed after criticism, creating divergent accounts of the bill’s content. Sources differ on the preferred election date—haredi parties advocate September, while the coalition seeks 20 October. Quantitative data on how many haredi men would be affected remain unspecified.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Precisely in these days, when the people of Israel need more merit for success in the campaign against their enemies, we are demanding that the Basic Law: Torah Study be brought to a vote as early as this week, as a condition for supporting any other legislation,” — Aryeh Deri, Shas leader
- “an exemption law on steroids.” — Naftali Bennett, former prime minister
- “While many Israeli citizens were sitting in shelters today and our soldiers are fighting and risking their lives, the prime minister – who sent them and continues to send them into war – is working to legislate a Basic Law that will grant equal rights to IDF fighters and Torah scholars,” — Gadi Eisenkot, Yesh Atid leader
- “This week, ultra-Orthodox political operatives are trying to bring to a vote a law that seeks to enshrine draft evasion under the guise of ‘Torah study.’ They call it the Basic Law: Torah Study, but it would be more accurate to call it the Basic Law: Desecration of the Torah,” — Dan Illouz, Likud MK
- “While reservists are collapsing under the burden, Deri is supporting draft dodgers.” — Yair Golan, Labor party leader
What’s Next
The bill is slated for a preliminary reading in the Knesset plenum within days. A subsequent vote will determine whether the Basic Law: Torah Study advances before the scheduled 20 October elections, shaping both Israel’s conscription framework and the political calculus of the governing coalition.
