The Haredi Draft Debate: Faith, Duty, and Israel’s Future – with Eli Paley

We’re diving into one of the most contentious and emotional debates in Israeli society: Haredim and military service.

For decades, ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students have been exempt from Israel’s mandatory draft to focus on Torah study. But with Israel’s security stretched thin after October 7, the debate over Haredi participation in the military has taken on new urgency.

Host Aviva Klompas is joined by Eli Paley, a leading voice in the Haredi world, to explore this issue from a deeply informed perspective. We discuss how the Haredi community views military service and why full-time Torah study is central to their identity; the heated debate over fairness, national security, and shared responsibility in Israeli society; and what solutions could balance Israel’s security needs with respect for Haredi values.

This is an eye-opening and essential conversation about one of the defining issues shaping Israeli society today.

Guest Bio:

Eli Paley is a Haredi-Israeli philanthropist, businessman, and social entrepreneur. In his philanthropic role, Paley chairs The Paley Family Foundation. He is also the owner and publisher of "Mishpacha," the largest media group in the Haredi world. As a social entrepreneur, Paley is the chairman of the Paley family foundation and President and founder of the Institute for Strategy and Haredi Policy

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