The Netzah Yehuda Organization, the main body promoting the integration of haredim into the IDF, appealed to the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, MK Boaz Bismuth, and to committee members, demanding that the draft of Haredim be formally regulated by law.
In the document it sent, the organization calls for a series of amendments to the Draft Law - foremost among them official recognition of the haredi hesder yeshivot.
The full document that was submitted [in Hebrew]
The recommendations presented to the committee, included five central steps that the organization says are prerequisites: establishing clear and firm enlistment targets, with a minimum of 30% of haredi recruits to be placed in combat units - in order to reduce the burden on reservists.
Limiting civilian-security service to age 22 and above only, so as not to harm the potential for IDF enlistment; adapting the IDF system for Haredi service, including the establishment of a dedicated draft office and induction base.
Legal regulation of civilian rabbinic guidance for haredi soldiers, under the supervision of the IDF and the Defense Ministry; and the formulation of an official government plan for haredi enlistment, similar to the existing governmental model for haredi employment.
The main point of contention raised by the organization is the absence of legal recognition for the haredi hesder yeshivot, which it says represent “a proven model for the gradual, sensitive, and intelligent integration of haredi youth into military service.” According to the organization, despite repeated appeals over the years, the issue has yet to be regulated in legislation.
At the end of the appeal, the organization’s director-general, Lt. Col. (res.) Yossi Levy, wrote: “The Netzah Yehuda Organization works to connect the IDF and the haredi sector. We ask that each of the above clauses be given serious consideration and incorporated into the proposal currently being advanced as a key to proper legislation that will promote the national mission of integrating Haredim into the IDF.”