Yeshiva Deans Warn: Draft law plan could dismantle haredi Hesder track

 

The Association of Haredi Hesder Yeshivot warns that the draft law advanced by the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, chaired by MK Boaz Bismuth, could lead to the collapse of an existing model that recruits haredim for combat, technological, and security service in the IDF.

In an official letter submitted to the committee, it stated that 14 haredi Hesder yeshivot, currently numbering about 1,000 students, are expected to be severely harmed by clauses in the current draft. The association's leaders warned, "This is not only an administrative malfunction but a moral and professional one, which could lead to the immediate dismantling of this important enterprise."

According to the association, the law in its current wording includes a particularly problematic clause that requires the haredi student to study only Torah, thereby denying the possibility of combining service with professional or technological studies. The letter said, "This is a dangerous coercion that does not exist in Zionist Hesder yeshivot," and it emphasized that it is precisely the haredi Hesder yeshivot that actually recruit thousands to the IDF that are being punished.

The yeshiva heads further stressed, "If no amendment is inserted into the law, a critical momentum of recruiting haredim in dedicated tracks will be halted, existing institutions will close, and a deterrent message will be sent to every young haredi man considering combining Torah with service and meaning."

An attached proposed legal text would regulate full recognition of the haredi Hesder yeshivot, enabling them to operate legally while combining religious studies with service tracks - including the option of certificate and engineering studies, as is customary in parallel tracks in Religious Zionist communities.