In a fiery Knesset committee hearing, reservist Yitzhaki Glick, a 40-year-old father of five, denounced the proposed haredi draft exemption law, urging lawmakers not to advance it while soldiers are fighting in Gaza.
The Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, chaired by MK Boaz Bismuth (Likud), convened Sunday to debate the controversial haredi draft law — focusing on exemption ages for yeshiva students.
Among the speakers was reservist Yitzhaki Glick, who delivered an emotional and uncompromising plea before heading back to the battlefield in Gaza.
“I’ve Done 550 Days — Soon It’ll Be 600”
“I’ve done 550 days of reserve duty. With my next 86-day call-up, I’ll cross the 600-day mark. I’m 40 years old, a father of five. No one asked me my exemption age, and I don’t want them to. But this law is detached from reality.”
Glick ridiculed the draft framework being discussed:
“When the law was first written, the target was 3,000 haredim to be recruited. If I was called for 30 days a year, fine. But I’ve been called for 600 days in two years — so the target should be 90,000. What relevance does this exemption even have?”
Questions on Yeshiva Lists
He also questioned the criteria for yeshivas that appear on the official list:
“Why is the yeshiva I studied at not on the list? Why is my son’s yeshiva, where he’ll soon face conscription, excluded?”
Emotional Appeal to Lawmakers
Glick ended his testimony with a heartfelt demand:
“I am going into Gaza. Can you commit before me that there will be no rushing this law before I return? That you won’t push it through second and third readings while we’re on the frontlines, unable to comment? Can you promise me that?”
His words cast a sharp light on the deep divide over military service in Israel, as front-line reservists shoulder historic burdens while the government debates exemptions for the haredi community.
