The IDF has officially announced who has distinguished themselves for sending notices to Haredim: Most notices will be sent to young single men who work and hold driving licenses. Draft offices will be closed for several days exclusively for Haredim, with male assessors only, and a separate Haredi draft office will be established.
This involves 3,000 notices that will be sent in the coming third of the year, and in the following months there are plans to send thousands more notices. The IDF estimates that the total number of notices to be sent in the coming year will be between 6,000 to 12,000, aiming to reach around 3,000 actual enlistments this year.
According to the distinctions:
1. 85% of those summoned for the first notice will be single Haredi men, with 15% married. Among them, 200 are parents. The IDF states: It is estimated that it will be easier to recruit the married, but we specifically want young singles because they are the main potential for combat roles.
2. 50% of those prepared for the first notice will be young men aged 18-21, 40% aged 22-23, and another 10% aged 24-26.
3. Additional distinctions for whom the IDF will summon Haredim include those who have been employed for a long time with salaries, hold driving licenses, students studying in academia, and more. The IDF explains these distinctions, saying: These are the criteria that we estimate will allow for greater success in the integration and enlistment of these individuals, and the process has been approved by legal counsel in accordance with the law.
Starting from the dispatch of the summons for the first notice, within about two weeks they will be requested to appear at the enlistment offices - at this stage, these are the enlistment offices in Jerusalem, Tel Hashomer, and Tiberias - but Chief of Staff Levi has instructed to establish a separate Haredi enlistment office, and efforts are underway to do so.
Adjustments for Haredim:
Enlistment offices will be closed for several days dedicated exclusively to Haredim. For the first notice, Haredi registrants will undergo a different psychological test adapted for them, and only male assessors, not female, will be used.
In addition, the IDF has set up a dedicated website with the Ministry of Defence specifying the tracks offered to Haredim, and a special operations centre has been established in an elite unit to provide assistance to Haredi registrants. There are also plans to conduct a day-long induction course tailored for Haredim.
The IDF says that after arriving for the first notice, it will be possible to start the enlistment process within 45 days - meaning that as early as the upcoming recruitment cycle around September, it will be possible to start enlisting as circumstances allow. Not everyone will enlist immediately - the IDF will also allow some registrants to undergo formations, screenings, and the like - as is possible for the general population.
