Israel’s Military Conscription Conundrum: A Historical Context for Today’s Crisis

• History
• Military

• Revitalizing History

Israel's most recent war has brought the schism between the country's majority groups and its ultra-Orthodox minority back to the surface, this time focused on the issue of military conscription. This policy brief traces the decades-long history of Israel's conscription policies, showing how a gesture of goodwill made by Israel's first prime minister has unintentionally led to the exemption of tens of thousands of young men from military service today, when their service is most needed.

Key Takeaways

• Israel's heated conscription crisis is rooted in a clash between current public and Supreme Court demands on the one hand, and the refusal of most ultra-Orthodox political and religious leaders to accept general conscription of yeshiva students on the other.
• Since the original decision over 77 years ago by Israel's first prime minister to exempt 400 ultra-Orthodox men from service, the number of such men receiving the exemption has grown exponentially, and today they represent some 18% of conscription cohorts. This high percentage has become unsustainable, given Israel's security challenges and the growing demand for equality among its population segments.
• Due to existing political structures and practices, and low prioritization of the issue by Israel's mainstream parties, the problem has only become more severe throughout the decades, and today some observers view it as intractable.
• Any viable solution for Israel's conscription crisis will have to be implemented gradually and must address broader elements of the complex relations between state and religion, and between Israel's majority groups and the ultra-Orthodox minority.
• New domestic political realignments, representing the Israeli majority and the national interest, should prioritize resolving root-cause problems within state-religion relations. Necessary education and job market reforms should be part of this resolution.

Israel's Military Conscription Conundrum: A Historical Context for Today's Crisis by Hoover Institution

Cite this report:

Jonathan Roll, "Israel's Military Conscription Conundrum: A Historical Context for Today's Crisis," Hoover Institution, Hoover History Lab Policy Brief no. 2506, October 2025.