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A looming crisis over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army is posing a risk to the administration and dividing the country.

Public opinion on the issue has undergone a sea change in Israel after two years of hostilities, and this is now arguably the most volatile political issue facing the Prime Minister.

The Legal Battle

Politicians are now debating a proposal to abolish the deferment granted to yeshiva scholars enrolled in yeshiva learning, established when the modern Israel was founded in 1948.

This arrangement was struck down by Israel's High Court of Justice in the early 2000s. Stopgap solutions to maintain it were finally concluded by the court last year, pressuring the government to commence conscription of the ultra-Orthodox population.

Some 24,000 call-up papers were delivered last year, but merely about 1,200 Haredi conscripts reported for duty, according to army data presented to lawmakers.

Strains Boil Over Into Public View

Tensions are erupting onto the public squares, with lawmakers now discussing a new legislative proposal to require Haredi males into military service in the same way as other Jewish citizens.

Two representatives were harassed this month by hardline activists, who are furious with the legislative debate of the proposed law.

And last week, a specialized force had to assist enforcement personnel who were attacked by a sizeable mob of ultra-Orthodox protesters as they sought to apprehend a alleged conscription dodger.

These arrests have prompted the establishment of a new alert system called "Black Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through ultra-Orthodox communities and summon demonstrators to stop detentions from happening.

"Israel is a Jewish nation," stated one protester. "One cannot oppose religious practice in a Jewish country. It doesn't work."

A World Separate

Yet the transformations sweeping across Israel have failed to penetrate the environment of the religious seminary in an ultra-Orthodox city, an Haredi enclave on the fringes of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, scholars study together to analyze Jewish law, their vividly colored notepads standing out against the seats of white shirts and head coverings.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see half the guys are studying Torah," the leader of the seminary, a senior rabbi, noted. "Via dedicated learning, we shield the soldiers wherever they are. This is our army."

Haredi Jews maintain that unceasing devotion and Torah learning guard Israel's soldiers, and are as crucial to its security as its tanks and air force. That belief was accepted by the nation's leaders in the past, he said, but he acknowledged that Israel was changing.

Rising Popular Demand

The Haredi community has significantly increased its proportion of the country's people over the past seven decades, and now accounts for 14%. What began as an exemption for a few hundred religious students evolved into, by the start of the recent conflict, a body of tens of thousands of men left out of the draft.

Opinion polls indicate backing for ending the exemption is rising. A survey in July found that an overwhelming percentage of the broader Jewish public - even a significant majority in Netanyahu's own right-wing Likud party - supported sanctions for those who ignored a call-up notice, with a firm majority in favor of removing privileges, travel documents, or the franchise.

"It makes me feel there are individuals who reside in this nation without contributing," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv said.

"I don't think, no matter how devout, [it] should be an justification not to perform service your nation," stated Gabby. "As a citizen by birth, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to exempt yourself just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Views from Within a Religious City

Backing for broadening conscription is also coming from observant Jews outside the ultra-Orthodox sector, like one local resident, who is a neighbor of the academy and notes observant but non-Haredi Jews who do perform national service while also maintaining their faith.

"I am frustrated that ultra-Orthodox people don't perform military service," she said. "It's unfair. I too follow the Torah, but there's a proverb in Jewish tradition - 'The Book and the Sword' – it signifies the scripture and the weapons together. That's the way forward, until the arrival of peace."

Ms Barak manages a local tribute in the neighborhood to soldiers from the area, both from all backgrounds, who were killed in battle. Long columns of photographs {