IDF Chief Halevi urges military expansion amid growing tensions over ultra-Orthodox enlistment

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi on Wednesday for expanding the Israeli military to address the range of security challenges facing the Jewish state.

“The IDF needs to be larger, both in regular forces and reserves, and therefore, we’re building more forces,” Halevi said following his assessment of the IDF during a visit to the Western Galilee.

The region has been under sustained aerial attacks from the Hezbollah terrorist organization, a regional proxy of Iran. The IDF chief stressed the need to increase the integration of the ultra-Orthodox community into the IDF and recalled the story of an ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) soldier from the Givati Brigade who was wounded during battles with Hamas terrorists in Rafah in southern Gaza.

“He wanted to enlist, though his family initially didn’t support him; from the moment he began, they embraced him wholeheartedly, standing by him before and certainly after his injury,” Halevi said. 

“And I’m telling you, our question is how we create many more like him. That’s what’s socially right, and I believe if we can grow from this war with the understanding that the IDF needs to be larger, there might be a very positive social transformation as well."

Halevi was accompanied by IDF Northern Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Ori Gordin. He also met and spoke with commanders of the IDF brigades and battalions currently in battle against Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon.

The IDF currently has about 170,000 active personnel, according to Global Firepower. Additionally, Israel has a reserve pool of approximately 465,000 eligible men and women who can be called up in times of war.

Shortly after the unprecedented attack on Oct. 7, 2023, when 1,200 Israelis were killed by Hamas terrorists, the Jewish state mobilized approximately 300,000 reservist soldiers in just 48 hours.

The issue of ultra-Orthodox military enlistment has been debated in Israel for many years. While a growing minority of Haredi men serve in the IDF, the majority currently does not due to religious and political reasons. This has created serious tensions with mainstream Israelis who are required to serve in the military.

Despite opposition from some religious and political leaders, examples within the IDF highlight how ultra-Orthodox soldiers are managing to serve while upholding their religious commitments.

IDF Captain Shlomo Cohen emphasized that ultra-Orthodox soldiers serving in Gaza have been able to balance their military activities with religious observance.

“We can hold Torah study sessions even in Gaza, and we have soldiers who received study materials to take into the Gaza Strip and found time for it. Of course, we also held prayer services. It’s not far-fetched, we even have supportive rabbis. Whoever wants to enlist can enlist, and whoever wants to study Torah can study Torah,” Cohen said.