Conscription in Israel - Exemption From Service

Exemption From Service

Although the conscription is officially compulsory, in practice a significant percentage of the population does not enlist for various reasons. Among other things, recent decades have seen a growing phenomenon of draft dodging from military service, mainly due to conscience or political reasons (See Refusal to serve in the Israeli military). Exemptions have come under attack on grounds of fairness, and also because of a perceived shortage of combat personnel.

Yeshiva students who declare that "Torah study is their artistry" (Torato Omanuto) (תורתו אומנותו) can delay their conscription as long as they continue their studies, under the so-called Tal Law. In practice, many of them end up never serving at all. This is a very controversial issue in Israel and key to religious relations in Israel. Several attempts were made to change the practice, notably the establishment of the Tal committee in 1999, which led to the Tal Law, implemented in 2002. Yet the Torato Omanuto exemption continued largely unchanged. The Tal Law was later ruled unconstitutional in its current form, and a replacement is needed before August 2012. Most beneficiaries of this exemption are Haredi Jews. Members of the Religious Zionist sector often serve within a separate system called Hesder which combines advanced Talmudic studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF also tends to make the military service easier for recruits at an older age and recruits with families, as well as athletes and musicians of note.

From time to time a public debate emerges in Israel around the issue of exemption from military service in Israel.