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An impending political storm over enlisting Haredi men into the Israeli army is posing a risk to the administration and fracturing the nation.

The public mood on the issue has shifted dramatically in Israel following two years of war, and this is now possibly the most explosive political issue facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Judicial Struggle

Lawmakers are now debating a draft bill to terminate the deferment awarded to Haredi students enrolled in yeshiva learning, created when the the nation was declared in 1948.

That exemption was ruled illegal by Israel's High Court of Justice two decades ago. Interim measures to continue it were formally ended by the judiciary last year, forcing the administration to start enlisting the Haredi sector.

Some 24,000 enlistment orders were delivered last year, but only around 1,200 men from the community reported for duty, according to defense officials given to lawmakers.

Strains Boil Over Into Violence

Tensions are erupting onto the city centers, with elected officials now discussing a new legislative proposal to force yeshiva students into national service together with other secular Israelis.

Two Haredi politicians were harassed this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are enraged with the legislative debate of the draft legislation.

In a recent incident, a specialized force had to assist army police who were surrounded by a sizeable mob of community members as they attempted to detain a alleged conscription dodger.

Such incidents have prompted the establishment of a new communication network named "Dark Alert" to send out instant alerts through ultra-Orthodox communities and mobilize activists to block enforcement from happening.

"Israel is a Jewish nation," stated Shmuel Orbach. "You can't fight against the Jewish faith in a Jewish country. That is untenable."

A World Separate

However the transformations sweeping across Israel have failed to penetrate the confines of the Kisse Rahamim yeshiva in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, scholars study together to analyze the Torah, their distinctive notepads contrasting with the rows of formal attire and head coverings.

"Visit in the early hours, and you will see many of the students are studying Torah," the leader of the academy, a senior rabbi, said. "Via dedicated learning, we shield the military personnel in the field. This constitutes our service."

The community holds that constant study and spiritual pursuit protect Israel's soldiers, and are as essential to its military success as its tanks and air force. That belief was endorsed by previous governments in the earlier decades, he said, but he acknowledged that the nation is evolving.

Rising Popular Demand

This religious sector has more than doubled its percentage of the nation's citizens over the past seven decades, and now represents 14%. What began as an exemption for several hundred yeshiva attendees evolved into, by the beginning of the recent conflict, a cohort of approximately 60,000 men not subject to the draft.

Polling data show backing for drafting the Haredim is growing. Research in July showed that a large majority of the broader Jewish public - including a large segment in his own coalition allies - backed consequences for those who refused a draft order, with a firm majority in favor of withdrawing benefits, the right to travel, or the right to vote.

"I feel there are individuals who live in this nation without serving," one military member in Tel Aviv said.

"In my view, regardless of piety, [it] should be an justification not to fulfill your duty to your state," added a young woman. "If you're born here, I find it rather absurd that you want to avoid service just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Voices from Inside a Religious City

Advocacy of broadening conscription is also coming from observant Jews outside the ultra-Orthodox sector, like Dorit Barak, who lives near the yeshiva and notes non-Haredi religious Jews who do serve in the military while also maintaining their faith.

"I am frustrated that ultra-Orthodox people don't perform military service," she said. "It's unfair. I also believe in the Jewish law, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it represents the Torah and the defense together. That is the path, until the messianic era."

The resident runs a local tribute in her city to local soldiers, both religious and secular, who were fallen in war. Rows of images {