Israel Cracks Down on Draft Dodgers, Blocks Uman Pilgrimage

The Israel Defense Forces have launched a large-scale operation at Ben Gurion Airport to detain ultra-Orthodox men evading mandatory military service.

The operation, reported by Mako, is intended to prevent ultra-Orthodox men from leaving the country ahead of the Tishrei Holidays and traveling to the Ukrainian city of Uman.

If their documents reveal draft evasion, Military Police Corps will arrest them under existing warrants.

Penalties vary depending on the length of draft evasion: those who avoided service for up to 540 days will be drafted, while those who have evaded for longer will face prison terms.

The operation also targets Haredim returning to Israel from abroad for vacations or family visits, including some who have avoided service for years. The reports of planned arrests have led some to cancel trips to Ukraine, fearing detention upon return.

The crackdown has sparked backlash in the ultra-Orthodox community, which has long sought exemption from military service on religious grounds.

On June 25th, 2024, the Supreme Court of Israel ruled unanimously that ultra-Orthodox Jews are subject to mandatory service, ending long-standing exemptions.

The court found that the absence of a law differentiating Yeshiva students from other conscripts meant Haredim must’ve served on equal terms with other citizens. It also ordered an end to state subsidies for seminaries whose students evade service.

Although exemptions for Haredim date back to Israel’s founding in 1948, the Supreme Court struck down the exemption law in 2017. The ruling began to be enforced in 2024.

In 2024, about 3,000 ultra-Orthodox men were drafted, according to the military. On July 6th, 2025, the IDF launched its largest-ever conscription campaign, covering up to 54,000 Haredim.

Previously, Militarnyi reported that in January 2025 Israel had begun forming its first brigade of Orthodox men drafted into the army.

Under the Defense Ministry’s plan, the Hasmonean Brigade will consist of 4,000 soldiers and operate under a halachic lifestyle, including maintaining beards and peyot, refraining from obscene language, and wearing clothing in accordance with Jewish law.