Articles

Yohanan Plesner, president of IDI, spoke with BBC News' Ben Brown as wide-scale protests erupted in Israel following the harrowing murder of six Israeli hostages by

"Basically we've entered into a new unknown terrain," says IDI President Yohanan Plesner.

"It's a matter of a change in the trajectory," says Yohanan Plesner, president of IDI following the Israeli Supreme Court ruling on the issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription.

Yohanan Plesner, President of IDI lays out the basic principles for a fair draft law.

What are the economic impacts of the Haredi blanket exemption and how would drafting the ultra-Orthodox benefit Israeli society and economy?

Press Release
Eli Hurvitz Conference: Morning Sessions

Press Release
Eli Hurvitz Conference: Afternoon Sessions

When did the ultra-Orthodox first receive an exemption from military service? How have Haredi demographics influenced this issue?

This is a timeline of the central milestones affecting the issue of Haredi conscription. 

In new research, IDI experts Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz and Gabi Gordon find that conscripting even a small percentage of eligible Haredi men would save the Israeli economy billions of shekels annually. They found that drafting even 20% of Haredi men would significantly reduce the number of days necessary for reserve duty and save 2.5 billion shekels in budgetary expenses by 2050. Full conscription of the ultra-Orthodox men would eliminate the need for reserve duty by 2045 and save the Israeli economy between 8-10 billion shekels.

A new survey by the Israel Democracy Institute's Viterbi Center for Public Opinion examined what should be the highest priority in terms of Israeli national interest: military action in Rafah or a deal to release the hostages held by Hamas.

Dr. Asaf Malchi's research explores the perspective of yeshiva students, their personal and social challenges and highlights a subgroup of 'alterative yeshivas' and their shifting perspectives on vocational training and employment.

IDI's Dr. Gilad Malach explains what a fair draft law for the ultra-Orthodox would look like. One that would distribute the burden over Israel's security more equally while enabling young Haredi men to integrate into the job market.

IDI's Prof. Karnit Flug, VP of Research and the William Davidson Senior Fellow for Economic Policy joined Jeff Schoenfeld, Chair of the Jewish Federation's Israel and Overseas Committee and Bloomberg's Galit Altstein to discuss the implications of the ongoing war in Gaza on Israel's economy.

IDI's Prof. Amichai Cohen answers a series of questions on international law and its dealings with the laws of war.

Yohanan Plesner, President of IDI on PBS Newshour: "In 2014, there was an attempt by Hamas to launch the exact same thing... just that time, they failed."

Yohanan Plesner, president of IDI, spoke with BBC News' Ben Brown as wide-scale protests erupted in Israel following the harrowing murder of six Israeli hostages by

Yohanan Plesner, president of IDI and Prof. Yuval Shany, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Democratic Values and Institutions met with reporters to discuss the historic Supreme Court hearing on the repeal of the reasonableness doctrine.

Dr. Tammy Hoffman, Director of IDI's Education Policy Program explains why the current political and social crisis in Israel is related to the education system and why there cannot be democracy without educating toward democracy.

With the Knesset set to hold its final vote on curtailing the “reasonableness standard,” what happens next? What are the implications of removing this type of oversight on governmental decisions, and is there still a possibility for compromise ahead of the vote?

Briefing by IDI President Yohanan Plesner Following the Suspension of the Judicial Overhaul.

Understanding the Proposed Reforms in the Israeli Government - Heidi Gantwerk, President of the Jewish Federation of San Diego in conversation with IDI's Prof. Amichai Cohen, Senior Fellow at the Center for Security & Democracy. 

The effects of the judicial overhaul on Israel's economy and foreign relations: Jeffrey Shoenfeld, Chair of the Jewish Federations of North America in conversation with Prof. Karnit Flug, IDI's Vice President of Research and William Davidson Senior Fellow for Economic Policy and Elliot Abrams, Council of Foreign Relations and former senior advisor to presidents Reagan, Bush & Trump.