A significant development is underway in the Israeli charedi community. Despite the heated battle in the Knesset over the draft exemption law and the charedi parties intrasigent stance on the issue, dozens of charedi yeshiva students have recently joined or are in the process of enlisting in the IDF.
The pro-draft newspaper Lechatchila published a report on the matter on Tuesday, stating that “Dozens of students from mainstream yeshivot are enlisting in the IDF.”
According to the article, six students from Wolfson Yeshiva, considered one of the most prestigious institutions in the charedi world, announced their decision to enlist. This triggered an emergency assembly led by the Rosh Yeshiva. Reportedly, three of the students plan to join “Kodkod”, a prestigious IDF tech unit, two will serve in combat roles, and one will transition to a Haredi Hesder Yeshiva (which combines Torah study with military service) before enlisting in a combat unit.
The news shocked many in the yeshiva and has caused a stir throughout the charedi world, especially because two of the enlisting students are alumni of Kol Torah, one of the most well-respected and long-standing yeshivot.
During the emergency meeting at Wolfson Yeshiva, Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Daniel Wolfson addressed the students and expressed deep concern about the move. He argued that no military program can truly preserve a charedi lifestyle and shared his sorrow over the students’ decision to leave.
Lechatchila, despite supporting Haredi enlistment, quoted Rabbi Wolfson:
“The army doesn’t want you and isn’t waiting for you with open arms.”
He also claimed that religious soldiers are disproportionately sent to the front lines and therefore suffer higher casualty rates. As evidence, he pointed to the recent deaths of four soldiers in Netzah Yehuda Battalion—a predominantly charedi combat unit. According to him, such incidents demonstrate that the army poses a greater risk to religious soldiers.
Lechatchila’s investigation reveals that the Wolfson case is part of a wider trend. Students from top-tier charedi yeshivot—such as Wolfson, Torah B’Tifarta, Hevron, Kamenitz, and even Ponevezh and Tifrach—have recently begun enlistment procedures, joining either elite tech programs like Kodkod or Yoav, or entering combat and intelligence units designed for Haredi soldiers.
In at least two known cases, yeshiva staff were aware of the students’ intentions to enlist but allowed them to remain until the end of the semester, under the condition they not speak about it with other students.
In another case, a student already serving in the Hashmonaim Brigade convinced two of his friends to follow him—one of whom is scheduled to enlist in the next draft cycle, and the other has registered for the Kedkod program.
According to Lechatchila’s full data analysis, since May, approximately 120 single charedi men, enrolled in elite yeshivot, have begun enlistment procedures. Over 70 registered for the Kodkod program, and over 40 joined other tracks.
These younger recruits join the ranks of married charedi men (avreichim) who have recently started similar enlistment processes. As revealed in Lechatchila, two avreichim from the Haredi community in Tiberias, studying at a local kollel, approached Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, head of the Slabodka Yeshiva, sharing that they felt spiritually unfulfilled and were under severe financial stress due to recent sanctions on yeshiva students.
Rabbi Hirsch reportedly listened and ruled that in their situation it was permissible to enlist.
Upon returning to their kollel and announcing their intent to enlist after the summer session, the shocked head of the kollel consulted with Rabbi Shraga Steinman, asking if he should expel the men. Steinman allegedly replied,
“You shall do according to what your rabbi instructs you—why kick them out?”
The response calmed the kollel head, though the news caused surprise. Days later, the kollel held a farewell party for the two under the headline: “You shall do as instructed.”
According to Lechatchila, the enlisting yeshiva students are raising the bar in units like the Hashmonaim Brigade. A senior figure involved in recruiting Haredim said:
“These new recruits are the best of the best from top yeshivot. To join Hashmonaim, it’s not enough to be charedi—you need to meet very high personal and spiritual standards. Just like Hevron Yeshiva only accepts top-tier students, so does Hashmonaim.”
Those not accepted into Hashmonaim are being directed to other Haredi-friendly units, such as Netzah Yehuda or Pluga Chetz. “There’s no shortage of options,” said the source.
Despite the influx of interest, with hundreds of applicants, the unit remains selective:
“I’d rather take 80 high-quality soldiers than 300 who aren’t,” said the source.
“Until now, we had to limit draft cycles to maintain quality. Today, we can expand while keeping the same standard. After all, being the ‘Sayeret’ (elite unit) of the Torah world in the IDF is a big responsibility.”
