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A looming crisis over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military is posing a risk to the governing coalition and fracturing the state.

The public mood on the matter has changed profoundly in Israel after two years of war, and this is now arguably the most volatile political issue facing the Prime Minister.

The Constitutional Conflict

Politicians are now debating a piece of legislation to terminate the exemption granted to Haredi students engaged in full-time religious study, created when the modern Israel was founded in 1948.

The deferment was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court almost 20 years ago. Stopgap solutions to continue it were finally concluded by the bench last year, compelling the cabinet to begin drafting the community.

Some 24,000 draft notices were delivered last year, but just approximately 1,200 men from the community reported for duty, according to military testimony presented to lawmakers.

Strains Erupt Onto the Streets

Tensions are erupting onto the streets, with elected officials now discussing a new draft bill to require ultra-Orthodox men into national service together with other Jewish citizens.

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

In a recent incident, a elite police squad had to extract enforcement personnel who were targeted by a big group of community members as they tried to arrest a alleged conscription dodger.

These enforcement actions have sparked the creation of a new communication network named "Dark Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through Haredi neighborhoods and call out protesters to stop detentions from taking place.

"This is a Jewish state," stated one protester. "One cannot oppose Judaism in a Jewish state. It doesn't work."

An Environment Apart

Yet the changes sweeping across Israel have not yet breached the environment of the religious seminary in Bnei Brak, an religious community on the fringes of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, young students learn in partnerships to analyze the Torah, their brightly coloured notepads contrasting with the seats of formal attire and head coverings.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see half the guys are pursuing religious study," the dean of the yeshiva, a senior rabbi, noted. "By studying Torah, we safeguard the military personnel wherever they are. This is how we contribute."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that continuous prayer and spiritual pursuit defend Israel's military, and are as vital to its defense as its tanks and air force. That belief was endorsed by previous governments in the previous eras, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he conceded that the nation is evolving.

Rising Societal Anger

The ultra-Orthodox population has more than doubled its percentage of Israel's population over the last seventy years, and now constitutes around one in seven. An exemption that started as an exception for several hundred yeshiva attendees turned into, by the beginning of the Gaza war, a body of some 60,000 men not subject to the conscription.

Opinion polls suggest backing for ultra-Orthodox conscription is rising. A survey in July revealed that 85% of non-Haredi Jews - including a large segment in the Prime Minister's political base - supported consequences for those who declined a draft order, with a solid consensus in supporting withdrawing benefits, passports, or the electoral participation.

"It seems to me there are individuals who reside in this country without giving anything back," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv explained.

"It is my belief, regardless of piety, [it] should be an justification not to perform service your nation," said Gabby. "As a citizen by birth, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to avoid service just to engage in religious study all day."

Voices from Within Bnei Brak

Support for broadening conscription is also expressed by religious Jews not part of the Haredi community, like a Bnei Brak inhabitant, who is a neighbor of the seminary and points to observant but non-Haredi Jews who do serve in the military while also maintaining their faith.

"It makes me angry that ultra-Orthodox people don't perform military service," she said. "It is unjust. I am also committed to the Torah, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'Safra and Saifa' – it signifies the Torah and the guns together. That's the way forward, until the messianic era."

Ms Barak maintains a modest remembrance site in the neighborhood to local soldiers, both from all backgrounds, who were fallen in war. Lines of faces {