Israel’s Surprising Majority: IDF Service Evaders
By Aaron Baron
Overview of the IDF and its Military Conscription
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were established soon after the state of Israel declared its independence from Britain in 1948. Israel’s government recognized the existential threat posed by its neighboring states and therefore made military service mandatory for Jewish men and women under the 1949 Defense Service Law. The law was later amended so Israeli Druze and men of Circassian descent are also required to serve in the IDF. Israeli Arabs are not required to join the IDF, although recent years have seen record numbers of draftees. While serving in the military is often seen as a right of passage for Israelis, recent trends show that a majority of eligible citizens avoid Israel’s mandatory military service. So which groups are exempt from service? And why?
Exemptions for Haredim
Of the groups that receive exemptions from enlisting in the IDF, Haredim (Israel’s most religious group) have been the most prominent and criticized. Israel’s ultra-Orthodox citizens devote their lives to studying religious scriptures and believe that enlisting in the IDF would endanger their way of life. Haredim were first given the opportunity to study Torah rather than serve in the IDF when Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, permitted 400 religious students to avoid conscription. Ben-Gurion’s exemption of these few hundred students has set a precedent which today allows for tens of thousands of Haredim to avoid military service. While there are a small number of Haredim that join ultra-Orthodox battalions in the IDF, the overwhelming majority of ultra-Orthodox Jews would be shunned from their families if they volunteered to enlist in the IDF.
In 2014, the Israeli Knesset passed a bill which established target quotas for the conscription of Haredim. The bill’s goal was to enlist 5,200 Haredim per year into the IDF by mid-2017. If the quota was not met, all but 1,800 “gifted scholars” would be required to fulfil the mandatory military service and criminal sanctions would be imposed on draft-dodgers. The Supreme Court, however, overturned the bill, ruling that it harmed Haredim’s principle of equality and right to dignity.
Omer Goldman and the Shministim Movement
The Shministim Movement (“twelfth-graders”) is comprised of Israeli teenagers who oppose serving in the IDF because of their frustrations with the Israeli presence in the West Bank. The activist group first emerged in 1970 after sending a letter to Prime Minister Golda Meir to voice their opposition to enlistment. Today, nearly 3,000 Israeli teenagers are members of Shministim.
One of the most noteworthy Shministim is Omer Goldman. Goldman was sentenced to 21 days in military prison after repeatedly refusing her draft obligations. This itself is not surprising, as most draft dodgers are put in military prison for varying sentences, and some offenders have even been imprisoned for over three months. What makes Goldman’s case unique is that she is the daughter of Naftali Granot, a former high ranking Mossad officer. When asked why she opposes the IDF, despite having strong family ties to the military, Goldman answered: “I won’t take part in a system that commits war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Other Groups Which Receive Military Exemptions
For some, a viable way to avoid army enlistment is to get married. Section 39 of the Defense Service Law (1986) states that “a married woman shall be exempt from the duty of regular service,” and some Israeli women get married to exploit this loophole. Marriage benefits Israeli men as well, since married men serve in the IDF for one year less than their bachelor counterparts. Israeli celebrity Bar Refaeli admitted that she used this tactic when she got married a few days before she was supposed to draft into the army. Refaeli divorced her husband soon after, when she was no longer draft eligible.
Israel also accepts a relatively small number of petitions by pacifists who request military exemptions. Almost all Israel political parties, including those on the left, have condemned draft evaders on the grounds of pacifism. From 1998 to 2000, less than 10% of applicants who filed for a military exemption for conscientious reasons were exempted from serving by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. By comparison, over 60% of applicants in other countries were approved on similar grounds.
Societal Impacts of not Serving in the IDF
Since its inception, the IDF’s unparalleled tactical success has made it a hallmark of Israeli society. Israel’s older generations, in particular, vehemently oppose draft evading. Ehud Barak, former prime minister and defense minister, stated strongly in a 2007 interview that “as a society, [Israel] must not turn draftdodgers into heroes.” Barak continued on to claim that “the people’s army” is “gradually turning into the army of half the people.”
In the workforce, military experience is supposed to have no impact. Israel’s Employment Equal Opportunities Law (1988) established that no employer may ask an employee for his/her military profile. The law ensures that Israel citizens who have been exempted from IDF service are not discriminated against by potential employers. The pro-military attitudes of Israel’s older generations have been significantly lessened by this type of legislation.
Concluding Thoughts
Israel’s mandatory military service has become a mere suggestion for many of its eligible citizens. As Israel makes peace with more nations each year, conscription has begun to feel like more of a burden than an honor. Israel’s government knows this and is wary of its young generation’s shifting ideals. Male recruits in the IDF today need to only serve for 30 months–a six month decrease from what it was in 2015. This decision was reached in an attempt to raise enlistment rates and to cut the defense budget. The ethos of modern Israeli society is characterized far more by technology and innovation than militarization. Because of its society’s shift in attitudes regarding conscription, Israel must shy away from imprisoning the groups who represent the majority of eligible draftees. Israel’s “need” for mandatory conscription has been debunked by the groups who receive exemptions.
