Enforce the draft, but don't punish haredi kids for their fathers refusal to serve - opinion

Attorney David Page argues that Israel should enforce the draft on haredi men through individual sanctions like fines or jail, but should not condition family benefits such as daycare subsidies on a father's service. Page draws parallels to Soviet and Nazi policies and warns that coercion will alienate rather than integrate the haredi community.

Attorney David Page argues in an opinion piece that Israel should enforce the draft on haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men through individual sanctions like fines or jail, but should not condition family benefits such as daycare subsidies on a father's service. Page criticizes the current policy, which denies daycare subsidies to families whose father is classified as a draft evader even if he is employed, calling it a tactic that punishes children for their fathers' choices. He draws historical parallels to Soviet and Nazi policies that conditioned food on obedience, and cites Jewish legal sources that require feeding the hungry without investigation. The article notes that about 1.4 million haredim live in Israel with a high birth rate, and argues that coercion will not integrate them but will instead alienate them. Page points to the Hashmonaim Brigade as a successful model of integration that respects haredi values, and warns that the current approach risks turning haredim against the state. The framing relies on emotionally charged historical analogies without procedural sourcing.