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A gathering crisis over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army is threatening to undermine Israel's government and splitting the state.

The public mood on the issue has shifted dramatically in Israel after two years of conflict, and this is now perhaps the most divisive political issue facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Constitutional Battle

Politicians are now debating a proposal to end the exemption awarded to yeshiva scholars enrolled in yeshiva learning, created when the the nation was established in 1948.

This arrangement was ruled illegal by the nation's top court almost 20 years ago. Temporary arrangements to continue it were officially terminated by the bench last year, compelling the administration to start enlisting the community.

Approximately 24,000 call-up papers were issued last year, but only around 1,200 Haredi conscripts reported for duty, according to army data shared with lawmakers.

Tensions Spill Into Public View

Tensions are erupting onto the city centers, with lawmakers now debating a new conscription law to force Haredi males into national service alongside other secular Israelis.

Two Haredi politicians were harassed this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are incensed with parliament's discussion of the proposed law.

In a recent incident, a specialized force had to rescue enforcement personnel who were surrounded by a big group of Haredi men as they tried to arrest a man avoiding service.

These enforcement actions have led to the development of a new messaging system called "Black Alert" to spread word quickly through ultra-Orthodox communities and summon demonstrators to block enforcement from happening.

"This is a Jewish state," said an activist. "It's impossible to battle the Jewish faith in a nation founded on Jewish identity. It doesn't work."

A World Separate

However the transformations affecting Israel have not yet breached the confines of the Torah academy in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city on the fringes of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, scholars learn in partnerships to debate the Torah, their brightly coloured writing books contrasting with the lines of light-colored shirts and traditional skullcaps.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see many of the students are studying Torah," the dean of the academy, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, noted. "By studying Torah, we protect the soldiers on the front lines. This is how we contribute."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that unceasing devotion and Torah learning protect Israel's soldiers, and are as vital to its security as its conventional forces. This tenet was endorsed by Israel's politicians in the previous eras, he said, but he admitted that public attitudes are shifting.

Rising Societal Anger

This religious sector has significantly increased its share of the country's people over the since the state's founding, and now accounts for 14%. An exemption that started as an exemption for a few hundred yeshiva attendees turned into, by the beginning of the Gaza war, a body of tens of thousands of men exempt from the draft.

Surveys suggest support for ending the exemption is growing. A survey in July found that 85% of non-Haredi Jews - even a large segment in the Prime Minister's political base - backed consequences for those who declined a call-up notice, with a solid consensus in favor of withdrawing benefits, travel documents, or the right to vote.

"I feel there are people who live in this nation without giving anything back," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv commented.

"In my view, no matter how devout, [it] should be an excuse not to perform service your country," stated Gabby. "As a citizen by birth, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to avoid service just to study Torah all day."

Voices from Inside a Religious City

Advocacy of ending the exemption is also coming from religious Jews not part of the Haredi community, like Dorit Barak, who resides close to the yeshiva and notes observant but non-Haredi Jews who do serve in the military while also engaging in religious study.

"I am frustrated that the Haredim don't enlist," she said. "It's unfair. I am also committed to the Jewish law, but there's a teaching in Jewish tradition - 'Safra and Saifa' – it represents the scripture and the guns together. This is the correct approach, until the days of peace."

Ms Barak manages a small memorial in the neighborhood to local soldiers, both observant and non-observant, who were fallen in war. Long columns of images {