By: 5 Towns Central Team
Jerusalem, Israel (December 31, 2025)
Housing and Construction Minister Rabbi Yitzhak Goldknopf told a group of high school students this week that, according to army figures he cited, more Israelis avoiding military service live in the Tel Aviv area than in the entire Charedi community. His remarks came during a meeting at the Knesset with 12th grade girls from Ulpanat Ra’aya in Beit El, who pressed him on the low enlistment rates among Charedim.
Responding to the students, Goldknopf argued that public discussion often focuses narrowly on the Charedi sector while overlooking draft avoidance in other parts of Israeli society. He said that if the state wishes to tackle draft evasion, it should do so across the board and not single out one community.
At the same time, he reiterated his long-held position that full-time Torah study plays a crucial role in the spiritual and historical survival of the Jewish people. In his view, young men whose primary occupation is learning should not be treated as if they are shirking national responsibility, and he maintained that such students should not face punitive measures for not enlisting.
Goldknopf drew a clear distinction between those fully engaged in Torah study and individuals who neither learn nor serve. He stated that anyone who does not devote themselves to Torah and also does not join the IDF should be subject to enforcement under existing law. Responsibility for addressing that group, he said, lies with the state’s enforcement mechanisms and not with yeshiva students.
The exchange with the Beit El students reflects the broader, ongoing debate over sharing the security burden in Israel. With legal deadlines and political negotiations continuing over future conscription arrangements, Goldknopf’s comments underscore the sharp divide between those who see mass Torah learning as a form of national service and those who insist on more universal enlistment expectations.
