Torato Umanuto
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''Torato Umanuto'' () was a special government arrangement in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
allowing young Haredi Jewish men enrolled in
yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...
s to complete their studies before they were conscripted into the Israeli military. Historically, it has been mandatory in Israeli law for male and female
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, male
Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...
, and male
Circassians The Circassians or Circassian people, also called Cherkess or Adyghe (Adyghe language, Adyghe and ), are a Northwest Caucasian languages, Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation who originated in Circassia, a region and former country in t ...
to serve in the military once they become 18 years of age, with male conscripts required to serve for three years and female Jewish conscripts required to serve for two years. Haredi Jews maintain that the practice of studying or reciting the
Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
, when undertaken by great Torah scholars or their disciples, is crucial in defending the Israeli people from threats, similar to an additional "praying division" of the military. In practice, the ''Torato Umanuto'' arrangement provides a legal route whereby Haredi
rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
s and their disciples can either enroll for a shortened service period of four months or otherwise be exempted from compulsory military service altogether. In June 2024, the Supreme Court of Israel declared any continued exemption of IDF conscription unlawful and the army sent draft orders to thousands of Haredi men in the following months.


Etymology

The source of the phrase ''Torato Umanuto'' is taken from the
Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
:


History


Establishment of the agreement

During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Israeli prime minister
David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary List of national founders, national founder and first Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister of the State of Israel. As head of the Jewish Agency ...
reached a special arrangement with Israel's Haredi Jews (represented by Agudat Yisrael and
Yitzhak-Meir Levin Yitzhak-Meir Levin (; 30 January 1893 – 7 August 1971) was a Haredi politician in Poland and Israel. One of 37 people to sign the Israeli declaration of independence, he served in several Israeli cabinets and was a longtime leader and Knesset ...
) in which a small part of the community's senior
yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...
disciples (400 men) would be temporarily exempted from serving in the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
, but only as long as their sole occupation was studying the Torah, which a number of Haredi Jews devote and occupy themselves with for the majority of their day as a religious commandment. The arrangement's original purpose was to reach a comprehensive accommodation, later called the secular–religious status quo, between the secular community and the Haredi population who were then living under the British Mandate for Palestine, and by extension preventing an internal conflict within the Palestinian Jewish community (the
Yishuv The Yishuv (), HaYishuv Ha'ivri (), or HaYishuv HaYehudi Be'Eretz Yisra'el () was the community of Jews residing in Palestine prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The term came into use in the 1880s, when there were about 2 ...
) amidst high tensions with the region's Arabs. By contrast, Israelis who belong to the Religious Zionist community are conscripted, often under the yeshiva system of the Hesder program, which combines Torah study with military service. Over the years, as the Israeli population grew, the number of Haredi men eligible for exemption under the ''Torato Umanuto'' grew significantly; from 400 men originally to tens of thousands as of 2024. Many non-Haredi
Israeli Jews Israeli Jews or Jewish Israelis ( ) comprise Israel's largest ethnic and religious community. The core of their demographic consists of those with a Jewish identity and their descendants, including ethnic Jews and religious Jews alike. Appr ...
began to complain over the uneven burden of military service.


Tal Law

For many years the ''Torato Umanuto'' arrangement had the status of a regulation under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense (Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion also had the Defense portfolio). In the 1990s the
High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal (England and Wales), Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cour ...
of Israel ruled that the Defense minister had no authority to determine the extent of these exemptions. The Supreme Court postponed the application of the ruling to give the government time to resolve the matter. In accordance with the judicial ruling, Prime Minister
Ehud Barak Ehud Barak ( ; born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli former general and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Israeli Labor Party, Labor Party between 1997 and 20 ...
set up the Tal committee in 1999. The Tal committee reported in April 2000, and its recommendations were approved by the
Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
in July 2002. The new Tal Law, as it came to be known, was passed with 51 votes in favour and 41 against. The new law provided for a continuation of the ''Torato Umanuto'' arrangement under specific conditions laid down in the law; it was hoped that the number of exemptions would gradually reduce. The new law did not however put an end to controversies and disagreements. In 2005, Justice Minister
Tzipi Livni Tziporah Malka "Tzipi" Livni (, ; born 8 July 1958) is an Israeli politician, diplomat and lawyer. A former member of the Knesset and leader in the center-left political camp, Livni is a former Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel), foreign mini ...
stated that the Tal Law, which by then had yet to be fully implemented, did not provide an adequate solution of the problem of Haredi
conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...
as only 1,115 of the 41,450 yeshiva students covered by the arrangement had taken the "decision year" provided by the law, and of these only 31 had later enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces. In 2007 the Tal Law was extended until August 2012. In January 2012, Defense Minister
Ehud Barak Ehud Barak ( ; born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli former general and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Israeli Labor Party, Labor Party between 1997 and 20 ...
said his ministry was preparing an alternative to the Tal Law. Dozens of IDF reserve soldiers had put up what they called "the suckers' camp" near the Tel Aviv Savidor Central Railway Station, to protest the possible extension of the Tal Law. Several politicians, public figures, disabled IDF veterans and high school and university students visited the protest encampment. In February 2012 the High Court of Justice ruled that the Tal Law in its current form was
unconstitutional In constitutional law, constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applic ...
and could not be extended beyond August. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the government would formulate a new bill that would guarantee a more equal sharing of the burden by all parts of Israeli society. The issue was also part of a possible government collapse leading into the 2012-2013 election.


Judicial repeal of exemption

The Supreme court ruled in 2017 that blanket military service exemptions for Haredi yeshiva students were illegal and discriminatory. In March 2024, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara instructed both the Education Ministry and the Defense Ministry to begin the drafting process for Haredi men. On the night of 1 April, the coalition government stated that it had not agreed to an extension of the exemption, which had thus expired. Following a number of delays, a letter from Prime Minister Netanyahu requesting a one-month extension, and the passing of the deadline, on 1 April 2024, the Supreme Court decided that the Haredim would no longer receive an exemption from military service and that yeshivas could no longer receive the associated government subsidies. ''The Times of Israel'' reported that per government figures, 1,257 yeshivas would lose subsidies for 49,485 students receiving the exemption. Haredi lawmakers, members of the political parties United Torah Judaism and
Shas Shas () is a Haredi Judaism, Haredi religious List of political parties in Israel, political party in Israel. Founded in 1984 by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a former Israeli Sephardic Jews, Sephardi chief rabbi, who remained its spiritual leader until ...
, and supporters of the coalition government have stated their intention to walk out if the exemption removal is enforced; Anshel Pfeffer, a journalist for the newspaper
Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...
, argued that these threats were hollow. Haredi youth in the ultra-Orthodox neighbourhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem burned Israeli flags and military uniforms in protest. Following the 1 April lapse, the Supreme Court stated that it would convene on 2 June 2024 to hear a case regarding the conscription of Haredi men. The case was proceeded over by an expanded, nine-judge panel, as opposed to the standard three-judge panel. On June 25, 2024, the panel unanimously agreed to allow the compulsory conscription of Haredi Jews. In July 2024, the army began drafting 3,000 Haredi men, less than 10% showed up at recruitment centers. In November, 7,000 additional draft orders for Haredi men were approved.


See also

* Hardal * Haredim and Zionism *
Hesder Hesder ( "arrangement"; also Yeshivat Hesder ) is an Israeli yeshiva program which combines advanced Talmudic studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces, usually within a Religious Zionist framework. The program allows Orthodox J ...
- a Religious Zionist ("National Religious") yeshiva framework developed by Rav Yehuda Amital, combining Torah study and military service * Nahal Haredi - the IDF's ''Netzah Yehuda'' Battalion, which facilitates Haredi service in combat roles *
Religion in Israel Religion in Israel is manifested primarily in Judaism, the ethnic religion of the Jews, Jewish people. The Israel, State of Israel declares itself as a "Jewish and democratic state" and is the only country in the world with a Jewish-majority pop ...
*
Status quo (Israel) In Israel, the term status quo (or the secular–religious status quo) refers to a political understanding between secular and religion in Israel, religious political parties not to alter the communal arrangement in relation to religious matters. ...


References

{{Reflist, 2 Haredi Judaism in Israel Law of Israel Religion in Israel Religion in the Israel Defense Forces Talmud concepts and terminology Conscription in Israel Haredi anti-Zionism