Open Search form

Ultra-Orthodox Draft

Apply for a Blog

Jul 26, 2026, 5:56 AM

Drafting the ultra-Orthodox isn’t a magic bullet

(courtesy)

Yes, Haredim must serve, but that means making room for them, training them and changing the culture they come from. It's no quick fix for exhausted reservists

Joel D. Roberts

Jul 23, 2026, 10:11 AM

Calling My Teachers to Account

My fellow Jews, I stand in unentitled judgment. I am writing to take religious exception to the Haredi religious exemptions. First, however, two admissions: one, I’m American and have never served in the IDF. I hope to make aliyah...

Jul 21, 2026, 5:42 PM

Who Shook the Jar? The Question Israel Must Ask

There is an old story about a jar filled with red ants and black ants. For a long time, the ants live together peacefully. They go about their lives, sharing the same space, with little conflict. Then one day, someone...

Jul 19, 2026, 4:52 PM

Haredi ingratitude

In this new Ayin Tova cartoon, we see an Ultra-Orthodox Haredi rabbi deliberately spitting into the water source of the Jewish nation. Why would someone spit into a well that they, and others, drink from? This malicious act of pollution...

Jul 18, 2026, 8:43 PM

The Tale of Two Countries: A Reflection on Israel’s Divide

Israel, a land of contrasts, tells the tale of two countries existing within one nation. In one realm, there are those who selflessly serve their country, while in the other, there are those who do not. The former, known...

Maximillian Hollander

Jul 17, 2026, 5:45 AM

Who Will Judge Our Judges?

Devarim begins with Moshe’s admonishment of the Jewish people for their failures. The way Moshe described the nation’s judges underscores a particular failing of these leaders. And it’s a failure we are still grappling with today. In Shemot, the judicial system...

Jul 16, 2026, 3:27 PM

The Destruction of the Temple and Israel’s Government of Destruction

The opening words of this week’s haftarah are among the most shocking in the Bible: “Hear the word of the Lord, rulers of Sodom; give ear to the teaching of our God, people of Gomorrah.” Isaiah is not addressing Sodom and Gomorrah....

Stephen M. Flatow

Jul 14, 2026, 8:30 PM

Does protesting the draft count as Torah study, too?

Haredi men block Route 4 during a protest against the jailing of draft dodgers, near Bnei Brak, June 17, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/ Flash90)

Torah study is a foundational Jewish value, but it's not the only one. So is the responsibility for one another that the IDF exemplifies

Jul 14, 2026, 4:30 AM

Study vs. Sacrifice: An Angry Reflection

It is now 11:15 p.m. here in Israel. Five minutes ago, I was getting ready to go to sleep, trying to wind down from the day. And then I saw the latest update in the Times of Israel: “Knesset...

Kiffer Johannes

Jul 10, 2026, 6:21 PM

The Siege Within: When Radicalism Breaches the IDF’s Gates

The foundational contract of the State of Israel—the implicit understanding that the security of the collective demands a shared burden—is no longer merely fraying; it is being systematically dismantled. The Breach of Our Institutional Foundations When, on July 8, 2026, dozens...

Load more