IDI Releases New Survey Findings on Haredim; Convenes Haredi & Arab Leaders to Advanced Shared Society
The Israel Democracy Institute releases new survey findings on Haredi conscription and contributions to the war effort, presented at its Annual Conference on Shared Society.
Photos by: Oded Karni
(Jerusalem, December 31, 2024) The Israel Democracy Institute’s Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for Shared Society convened to discuss key issues of shared society. The Conference, which took place on December 30-31, included elected officials from across the political spectrum, as well as leaders from civil society, academia, and the private sector. Participants included former President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin, IDI’s Honorary Chair and and Joan and Irwin Jacobs Distinguished Fellow; MK Yitzhak Pindrus (United Torah Judaism); MK Naama Lazimi (The Democrats), MK Moshe Tur-Paz (Yeshi Atid); MK Eliyahu Revivo (Likud) and Meir Shimoni, Director General of the Ministry of Education.
During the conference, new survey findings (outlined below) were presented on the ultra-Orthodox community’s contribution to the war. The special survey conducted by Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz, Director of the Israel Democracy Institute’s Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for Shared Society and IDI’s Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research, examined the attitudes of the non-ultra-Orthodox Jewish public regarding conscription and ultra-Orthodox enlistment in the IDF. These findings, conducted in November, were compared to those from a survey carried out in January of this year.
The survey was also released ahead the publication of a new book entitled “As You Stand Silent” – Has October 7th Changed the Haredi Community? The findings are based on a representative sample of the entire Israeli population aged 18 and older, including 756 respondents. The maximum sampling error of ±3.56%.
The first day of the conference opened with a conversation between former President Ruvi Rivlin and IDI President Yohanan Plesner on the state of Israeli solidarity and social cohesion. It then focused on the country’s education system and its different streams – general public, national religious, Arab, and ultra-Orthodox. The day concluded with a “mock trial” with three distinguished judges – Judge Saviona Rotlevy, former Minister of Education Rabbi Shai Piron, and Prof. Meir Buzaglo and expert witness such as Abdallah Khatib, Former Advisor to the Director General of the Ministry of Education and Dr. Neri Horowitz, a former Advisor to the Ministry of Education on Haredi education. The participants debated the future of Israel’s education system, which is currently segmented by sectors.
The second day continued to explore various facets of Israel’s “shared society.” It opened with in-depth sessions discussing potential Haredi enlistment in the military and its implications for their communities and Israelis from other sectors who already serve.
The conference concluded with a conversation with Iris Haim, mother of the hostage Yotam Haim, who was accidently killed by IDF soldiers last year after he had succeeded in escaping his Hamas captors.
The November survey shows a sharp drop in support for the current situation of exempting ultra-Orthodox from the military, with only 9% support, compared to 22% ten months earlier. Meanwhile, the percentage of those supporting ultra-Orthodox conscription (either comprehensive or via allotments) rose from 67% in January to 84.5%. Half (50%) support drafting all young ultra-Orthodox individuals except for a small number of exceptional cases, and 34.5% support allotments with economic penalties for those who do not comply.
A shift among National Religious Israelis: In November, 72.5% of National Religious individuals supported a solution that included drafting ultra-Orthodox into the IDF conscription (either comprehensive or via allotments), a twofold increase from 36.5% in January. A steep decline in support for the current situation exempting ultra-Orthodox from service is also apparent among National Religious individuals, with only 18% supporting the current arrangement in November, compared to 44% in January. Among National Religious supporters of conscription, 39.5% favor allotments, and 33% support drafting all young ultra-Orthodox individuals, except for a small number of exceptions for “outstanding” Haredi yeshiva students.
When members of the ultra-Orthodox community were asked the same question[1], only 20% supported enlistment from their community (11% support conscription for all except for exceptions for “outstanding” yeshiva students and 9% for allotments). 61% of Haredi respondents support maintaining the current arrangement where members of their community do not enlist. An additional 19% said they do not know what the solution is for this issue.
Breakdown by voting patterns in the last election shows that the percentage of Likud voters who support conscription soared following a year of war. Support for ultra-Orthodox conscription rose from 52% in favor and 41% opposed during the first few months of the war, to 74.5% in favor and 17% opposed 10 months later. Support for ultra-Orthodox conscription among those who voted for the Religious Zionist party surged from 51% in favor versus 27% opposed in January to 79% in favor versus 14% opposed in November 2024.
Chart 12: What is the right solution regarding the conscription of ultra-Orthodox into the IDF? My position on the religious-secular spectrum (non-ultra-Orthodox Jews, in %; January 2024)
What is the correct solution for ultra-Orthodox conscription into the IDF? According to religious affiliation (% of non-Haredi-Jews; November 2024)
We asked respondents from the non-ultra-Orthodox Jewish public whether the conscription policy for ultra-Orthodox individuals should be changed in light of the growing need for soldiers and the extension of regular and reserve military service due to the war. The percentage of those supporting a change in policy due to the increased security burden rose from 65% in January to 81% ten months later. This position is shared by secular individuals (90%), traditional non-religious individuals (80%), traditional religious individuals (66%), and even religious individuals (from 41% in January to 64.5% in November).
Among the ultra-Orthodox, the majority (57%) did not think that the increased burden of service on the rest of the population should affect the policy regarding Haredi enlistment. In contrast, approximately a fifth (21.5%) did think that the growing security needs should impact the policy, and a similar percentage said they do not know.
It is already recognized that due to the war there is a need for the IDF to increase its manpower, including by extending the service of those in the standing military and those in the reserves. Do you think this should impact the policy on conscripting members of the ultra-Orthodox community?
While the early January survey showed that the non-ultra-Orthodox Jewish public was divided on whether the ultra-Orthodox contributed to the war effort (46% believed they contributed versus 47% who thought otherwise), by November, 59% felt the ultra-Orthodox were not contributing to the war effort or that their contribution was minimal, and 35% still believed their contribution was significant or very significant. A breakdown by levels of religiosity shows that the opinions of national religious and traditional religious individuals on the Haredi contribution to the war effort, remained nearly unchanged (January: 50% | November 53.5%). However, the assessment of the ultra-Orthodox contribution to the war by other non-Haredi Jews dropped. Traditional religious dropped from 65% in January to 48.5% in November, traditional non-religious from 60% in January to 38% in November, and among secular Jewish Israelis from 32% in January to 25% in November.
Former President Reuven (Rubi) Rivlin, Honorary Chair of IDI and Joan and Irwin Jacobs Distinguished Fellow:
“October 7th proved to us all, whether we like it or not, that we can live as “tribes” only if we have a state that supports all of us. A state that can protect us in terms of security and provide us with all those things a proper society provides. We must see ourselves as part of the cogent state, even while we live alongside one another as communities.”
“We find ourselves in a reality where all the people of Israel are interconnected and stand in solidarity with one another – Jews of all denominations, Reform and Conservative alike. There is no doubt that today, Jews worldwide and the State of Israel see eye to eye. We do not live just in Israel as four “tribes,” but as a people with five” tribes.” You may not realize how much the Jewish world does for the State of Israel and for those harmed here in Israel during these trying times.”
Shlomit Ravitzky Tur-Paz, Director of IDI’s Jacobs Center for Shared Society:
“Throughout two intense and fascinating days, a diverse group of participants - from all sectors, genders, ethnicities, and disciplines -sat around our table and discussed the issues that are the most divisive and painful for Israeli society together. I greatly appreciate the fact that almost all of them were able to speak honestly and empathize with each other’s struggles.
As we enter 2025, it is my wish that Israeli society as a whole will do the same: listen to each other and hear the pain, even when we disagree. The gaps are often very large, and the solutions seem far from reach – but we must take the first steps. These steps include speaking openly and honestly, looking each other in the eye, and from there, progressing together towards a solution.”
MK Yitzhak Pindrus, Chair of the United Torah Judaism Knesset Faction said: “We are always discussing tolerating Haredim. Perhaps it’s the Haredim who are tolerating those who are different from their community? I never truly felt tolerated. I felt political arm wrestling, in all areas. Maybe we need a Jewish state with more Jewish laws, perhaps the Ten Commandments should play a greater role?”
In response to a question from Kan News’ political correspondent Dikla Aharon-Shafran, regarding the issue of Haredi enlistment and the enormous price paid by the Religious Zionist sector in the war:
“I have no way to look them (the Religious Zionists) in the eye. But there is something I see, and that is the price they are paying in the secularization of their youth. They are paying a very high price and that is why we (the Haredi community) are not there.”
MK Naama Lazimi, The Democrats:
“Maintaining a unique way of life is a legitimate thing that should be recognized. However, our wilful blindness to the neglect of equal opportunity in education for children, just because they supposedly have their own leadership is unacceptable. This leadership should not condemn them to an inability to realize their potential. Ultimately, these two issues are interconnected. Our duty is to create a shared Israeli identity, but it cannot emerge by excluding an entire community from all educational and government frameworks.”
Meir Shimoni, Director General of the Ministry of Education:
“Most Haredim want to integrate into society, to learn, join the academia, and participate in the workforce, one way or another. We need to know how to provide the tools and pave the way for them to reach via the main road, just like everyone else.”
“We built the public Haredi school system. Over the years it expanded, and today there are close to 40,000 students in over 440 institutions, including kindergartens. I think these institutions provide the children, and later adults, life skills, a softer entry into life, higher education and then workforce.”
Iris Haim, mother of the hostage Yotam Haim z”l:
“I say we have personal responsibility. Each person is responsible to investigate and learn whether these divisions and rifts truly exist in reality. I think that if we’re talking about democracy, clearly, the ordinary citizen has immense power. Anyone can come and speak in the Knesset and take action. We haven’t created the mechanisms within ourselves that connect us and instead, we rely on the very institutions that we renounce.”
[1] This question about changing the policy vis-à-vis Haredi enlistment, was only asked of the ultra-Orthodox in the November 2024 national survey and therefor the numbers were small.