Israel’s Supreme Court Rules Military Must Conscript Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Men

Highest court strikes down religious exemptions to conscription laws.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews line up at an Israeli draft office to process their exemptions from mandatory military service at a recruitment base in Kiryat Ono, Israel, on March 28, 2024. Hannah McKay/Reuters

Israel’s highest judicial court ruled on June 25 that highly observant religious Jewish men should not be excluded from the country’s compulsory military requirements.

It also said the Israel Defense Forces must begin recruiting more of these men for service.