Breaking: Israel Supreme Court Rules Against Yeshivos in Drafting Bochurim

The charedi community in Eretz Yisroel received a harsh blow this morning from the Israel Supreme Court. Despite protests and many efforts to prevent this attack on the yeshiva community, the court ruled that all yeshiva bochurim and kollel men must draft into the IDF. As a result, any yeshiva or kollel that does not follow these guidelines will immediately stop receiving any government funding. Draft notices will be issued and all men of eligible age are required to enlist.

The Shas political party leader, Aryeh Deri, disagrees, saying, “Even here, in the Jewish state, alongside our precious fighters who sacrifice their lives against the enemies, we will continue to guard those who learn the Torah, which preserves our special power and creates miracles in battle. Whoever tried to disconnect the people of Israel from the Torah in the past failed miserably.”

“The government wanted to distinguish at the level of law enforcement between individuals based on their group affiliation,” said the court in its statement. “It was determined that by doing so, the government seriously harmed the rule of law and the principle according to which all individuals are equal before the law.” The ruling was unanimous as nine Supreme Court judges decided there is no legal reason to allow yeshiva students to be exempt from military service.

Up until now, charedi Jews have been generally exempt from national services as they support the country through their Torah and tefillah, sustaining the spirituality of Eretz Yisroel and giving strength to the soldiers who are fighting for the country. This latest ruling is expected to cause more rifts between Netanyahu and other party leaders.

Thousands of charedim are expected to be called up to the draft and all funding to yeshivos has been cut off. Foreseeing the probability of this unfortunate ruling and the dire need for yeshiva funding, six gedolim are currently visiting the US to fundraise $107 million to help keep yeshivos and kollelim running.