Some came to Israel to serve the Jewish state. Haredim are rewarded for refusing to help - opinion

Yonatan Shalev, a Knesset candidate for Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad party, argues that Haredi men are rewarded for not serving in the IDF while lone soldiers bear the burden. He cites a shortage of 20,000 soldiers and outlines Bennett's plan to redirect subsidies to those who serve.

Yonatan Shalev, a Knesset candidate for Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad party, argues that the Israeli government rewards Haredi men for not serving in the IDF while lone soldiers—including those from overseas who came to serve after October 7—carry the burden. He describes serving as a combat soldier in Maglan and witnessing lone soldiers who lack family support. Shalev states the IDF is short 20,000 soldiers and calls the situation 'immoral, unfair, and unsustainable.' He outlines Bennett's plan to redirect tens of billions of shekels in subsidies from non-servers to those who serve, fund only Haredi schools that teach math and English, and create Haredi hesder frameworks with eight-hour patrol shifts and eight hours of Talmud study. The article frames the issue as a growing gap between those who serve and those who do not.