by JNS Staff
The justices intervened a day after the Knesset passed the legislation by a vote of 58-54.
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| Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews are seen exiting the Yitzhak Navon Railway Station in Jerusalem, on their way to attend a “million man” protest against IDF conscription, Oct. 30, 2025. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90. |
Israel’s Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice, on Wednesday temporarily blocked a law that froze the arrests of Haredi yeshivah students who evade military service.
The judges argued that the temporary order was given in light of the court’s long-standing rulings on the issue of the conscription of yeshivah students. In June 2024, the court declared that ultra-Orthodox men must be conscripted, effectively ending a decades-long system of exemptions.
The decision will remain in force until a new ruling is made. Justice Ofer Grosskopf ordered that an expanded panel of jurists be convened as soon as possible to hear petitions related to the case.
The justices intervened a day after the Knesset passed the legislation by a vote of 58-54. The law would have stopped the detention of Haredi yeshivah students until Nov. 30, Kan News reported.
Knesset member Moshe Gafni, chairman of Degel HaTorah Party, a faction of the United Torah Judaism Party, posted to X after the vote: “The Era of Arrests is Over: We promised and we delivered. ... This is an important step in protecting the world of Torah and its learners, out of the recognition of the importance of Torah study to the people of Israel and the State of Israel.”
According to the now-frozen law, for 90 days from the moment of its approval, no criminal proceedings or arrests would be carried out against yeshivah students who fail to report for military-related fitness tests or for duty.
The law defines a yeshivah student as someone who studies Torah on a regular basis for 45 hours per week and not less than 40 hours. The only exceptions are for holidays and breaks connected to the yeshivah world.
Ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, Jews have received near-blanket exemptions from military service in what started as a release for about 400 Torah scholars at the state’s establishment.
The community views military service as a distraction from study and fears that those who are drafted will turn away from religious study.
However, nearly all Israelis say that Haredim must play a larger role in national defense, particularly in the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Many Israelis served many months of IDF reserve during the subsequent war.
JNS Staff
Source: https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/high-court-temporarily-blocks-law-protecting-haredi-draft-dodgers-from-arrest
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